Pastor’s Body Found In Well After Attack On Prayer Meet

BETUL, Madhya Pradesh, Apr. 22, 2010, 10:00 Hrs (SAR News):

A Christian pastor’s body was found in a well at Betul after armed Hindu extremists attacked a Christian crusade, April 18.

The crusade, organised by the Evangelical Lutheran Church, was attended by about 400 people from the neighbouring areas, according to CSF Mumbai.

Masked thugs attacked the Christians after forcing their way into the prayer meeting. They broke the windowpanes of vehicles, electrical lights, furniture and mercilessly beat the worshippers with clubs and bamboo sticks.

Panicked, the congregation started running helter-skelter. Even Pastor Amit Gilbert fled the spot. On realising that he had gone missing, a search team was formed to trace him. The team, however, found his dead body in a well.

A large section of Christians believes that Gilbert was forcibly thrown into the well by the attackers.

Gilbert had recently completed his Master of Divinity studies from the Central India Theological Seminary, Itarsi, Madhya Pradesh. His funeral took place in his hometown Raipur, in neighbouring Chhattisgarh, which is also a communal hotspot.