Suspected Hindu extremists attacked three Christians in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh on July 17.
More than 50 suspected extremists attacked college student Umesh Patel, his father Sudhama Patel and their family friend Kiran Vishwakarma for practicing Christianity, according to sources.
The attack occurred in Kamarud village, Damtari district after the student was questioned about his faith by a group of Hindus.
The Patels' house was also trashed by the mob and the three remain in a serious condition in hospital.
Tomson Thomas, who heads the India operations of Persecution Relief, believed the assault was part of an organized strategy by Hindu hard-liners to eliminate Christianity in India.
"We keep getting several reports of assaults on poor Christians living in villages every day from different parts of the country," Thomas told ucanews.com.