Gangavati, (Karnataka): Pastor Harris along with Pastor Ravi Kumar was holding a prayer service at a believer’s residence at Kanakagiri village in Gangavati Taluk of Koppal district in Karnataka, on 25-01-2011, Tuesday evening at 6.30 p.m. About 15 believers were participating in the prayer service. The local RSS leader, Purushotham, with a group of 20 RSS activists, attacked them and stopped their prayer service. They also locked them inside the house and beat up both the pastors, causing bleeding and lacerations all over their faces. We also understand that they also brought the police from the Kanagiri Police outpost and got them arrested and subsequently shifted them to the Gangavati Police Station.

The RSS activists have lodged a false complaint with the police against the pastors that they are involved in forced conversions by fraudulent means and use of money etc. Inspector Gundappa Udagi and Sub Inspector Raghavendra along with a posse of Police Constables from Kanakagiri and Gangavati Police Stations have been inquiring in the whole village to ascertain the fact of forced conversions as complained by the RSS activists. Both the pastors are still detained in the Ganagavati police Station.

Pastor Harris (35) is the pastor of the ECI Church at Kanakagiri and he is married to Smt. Jyotsna (28), and they have one child, a baby boy, 2 years old. Pastor Ravi Kumar (30) is the pastor of the ECI Church at Rampura in the same Gangavati Taluk.