Christian missionary arrested for burning copy of Hindu epic Ramayana in India

A gated Christian residential complex in a southern Indian city was vandalised days after a resident burned a Hindu religious text, police said on Monday.<br><br>The incident occurred in Bengaluru city in Karnataka state, where right-wing Hindu groups have been demanding a ban on religious conversions and attacking Christians and Muslims.<br><br>Police arrested a 37-year-old resident of the complex a day after the burning of the Ramayana, a Hindu epic that contains the teachings of Lord Ram, a major deity worshipped in India. They were granted bail and ordered to report to the police station every day.<br><br>Last week, a video surfaced of a man burning the Ramayana. Police identified the man as a software engineer named Mithil Nandesh. They said Nandesh was an active member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses group, which has a local office in the complex.<br><br>The main gate of the complex was seen being violently vandalised in another video that surfaced online on Sunday. The footage showed unidentified masked attackers, who were reportedly from right-wing Hindu groups, smashing the gates and threatening the residents.<br><br>On Sunday, a Hindu right-wing group called Bajrang Dal identified the masked attackers in the video as their activists. Police have not disclosed the names of the attackers or their affiliations.<br><br>The Christian residential complex houses several Jehovah’s Witnesses and their church services are also held there. Police said they were investigating complaints that the group was involved in religious conversions.<br><br>Last week, Karnataka passed a law to ban religious conversions through coercion or deceit, and the government of neighbouring Goa is also expected to enact similar legislation.<br><br>In September, a Christian priest in Karnataka was arrested for carrying out religious conversions after a complaint from a Hindu group. The police officer in charge of the case said the priest had converted 100 Hindus to Christianity.<br><br>India is predominantly Hindu and Christians make up only 2.3% of its 1.42 billion population. In the past decade, Christians have faced increasing violence and harassment, particularly in rural areas.<br><br>Critics say India’s ruling nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supports Hindu right-wing groups in attacking Christians and Muslims in the country. The BJP has denied the allegations.