Humnoor, Jamkhandi (Karnataka): Pastor Siddu Seemanth Gunike (42), is in charge of the Blessing Youth Mission Church at Humnoor near Jamkhandi in Bagalkot Dt. of Karnataka. He has a congregation of about 80 believers and he has been serving in that church during the last 15 years. He lives with his wife, Sunanda (33), and two children – Johnson-14 and Ashwin-12. On the evening of 1st January 2012, he had organized a New Year Prayer Service at the residence of a church member, Smt. Gangamma, and a sizable number of believers had gathered for the prayer service by 5 pm when the prayer service began.
But unfortunately right in the middle of their prayer service at about 6 pm, about 20 Bajrang Dal Hindu fanatics, scooped down upon them and ordered them to stop their prayer service, and also began physically attacking the pastor alleging him that they were all involved in fraudulent and forced conversion of Hindus to Christianity. After manhandling the pastor and some of the believers, the rabid Hindu fanatics, sent for the police from the Jamkhandi police station.  read more »