Christian missionaries who were distributing the Bible in Bengaluru were assaulted by a mob, and the incident was caught on camera. According to members of the small group, the incident occurred on December 23 2022, as they were distributing Bibles and chocolates in the Malleswaram area of Bengaluru.
In the video, members in the crowd can be heard asking for the keys to the car. One woman is heard saying, "Nim ajji, If you have a Bible keep it to yourself. Do we come and give you the Bhagavat Gita to read?" Another man is heard saying, "How dare you distribute the Bible in our area? Should we all join you?” He goes on to say that if it had been anyone else, they would have been assaulted for distributing the Bible. The group is then seen throwing the Bibles from the car into the streets and destroying them.
According to Rebecca, one of the members of the group, the confrontation began when a woman approached them and asked why they were distributing Bibles. The woman then verbally abused them and vandalised a Bible, gathering a crowd to support her actions. “As part of Christmas celebrations, we were distributing Bibles and chocolates to people. We didn’t force anyone to accept the Bibles,” Rebecca said.
Prajwal Swamy, President of Akhila Bharath Cristha Mahasabha, condemned the incident and said that a complaint has been filed with the Director General of Police (DGP).
Earlier the members of Akhila Bharath Cristha Mahasabha had approached the Karnataka police seeking police protection for peaceful celebrations of Christmas in Bengaluru. Members of the group had told TNM that the Christian community has been a target of violence since the anti-conversion law was passed by the Karnataka government.