Five Bajrang Dal members were arrested for attacking a church gathering on Sunday, December 23 in Kolhapur, Maharashtra.
According to an India Today report, a senior police officer said that the accused were from Belgaum in Karnataka. The police identified them from CCTV footage. “The accused had carried out a recce on the church days before the attack and had properly planned and executed the attack,” he said.
The attackers entered the New Life Church in Kowad village armed with swords, iron rods and glass bottles when around 40 people were offering their prayers. After threatening people, they started assaulting them. Twelve people were injured in the attack. Some women, who were part of the prayer meeting, forced the attackers to back off by throwing chilli powder at them.
Around 15-20 people were involved in the attack, the report suggests; four more have been identified, and the police are making efforts to catch them.
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