Kolhapur. Maharashtra: Missionaries of Satveda Mission were tortured severely at Kolhapur. On January 6th 2011 three missionaries were attacked by Bajrangdal activists as the missionaries were peacefully distributing Gospel tracts in the outskirts of Kolhapur city. The event happened near Rangala Market just three kilometers away from Kolhapur Railway station . Pastor Thomas George, the local coordinator of Satveda Mission and two evangelists named Akhil Prasanna and Shiju Mathew are the three missionaries tortured in the event.

On the day of the event they were scolded by the activists to stop distributing tracts and were forced go with them to the police station and forcefully made them to sign a paper telling they won’t do any mission work. The police told their helplessness that these Bajrangdal activists dominate the area. After this as the missionaries purchased essential grocery and other things for a month for the Bible college and mission station, the activists followed them and attacked them mercilessly. The missionaries were beaten severely and pushed down to the ground and were crushed under with shoes. The activists were around fifty in number and were beating and crushing the missionaries without any kindness.

The missionaries lost their bicycles, the essentials for one month and their personal belongings. Nobody came to their help as this happened in the vicinity of many. The Bajrangdal activists were shouting that they are missionaries.

When the information reached the director of the mission Rev. Johnson George, he passed on the information to Pastor Shinu, the missionary training dept. leader and he arranged the tortured missionaries to be taken to hospital and were admitted in the hospital. Pastor Thomas got his backbone dislocated an d after five days he was taken to Kerala for expert treatment. He is admitted in Sree Sankara Hospital, Changanacherry, Kerala and has to go through three months medication. Pastor Thomas has wife and three children who are studying. The Mission threatened to stop the work in the region but persists against all such treats and plans to reach these most unreached region. Please do pray for the tortured brothers and the work of God in this tough areas of the Marrattas.