India: Mob demolishes church

On March 12 in a southeast India village, the local newspaper published allegations that Divya Jyoti Church had been built on government land.

The next day, a crowd equipped with a backhoe demolished the small church building, encountering no resistance from the leaders of Guriya Village, in Chhattisgarh state.

Divya Jyoti Pastor Budhram Baghel said the church building had stood on land belonging to him.

"A temporary shed had been constructed in 2006 on this land after permission from the authorities and the same was later replaced by a permanent building," said Reverend Rakesh Dass, a friend of Bahel's. Read more