Seven people were arrested after an angry mob stormed a Pentecostal church March 6 in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh.
Six people were injured in the incident in which about 20 people on motorbikes stormed the church in Kachna village in Raipur, the state capital March 6.
Police spokesman Neeraj Chandrakar confirmed the arrests and described the incident as a clash between the two parties.
The Christian community in the area, however, claimed that the incident was part of an organized attack on the church, with the tacit support of the state administration.
Father Sebastian Poomattam, vicar-general of Raipur Diocese, told ucanews.com that "around 20 [attackers] on 10 motorbikes shouting jai shri ram (a slogan glorifying a Hindu God) stormed a Pentecostal prayer hall at Kachana."
They vandalized the prayer hall and attacked worshippers, including women and children, present there accusing them of indulging in illegal conversion, he said.
"This is a continuation of ongoing attacks on Christians and minorities in the state," he said.
