Mob Storms Kawardha School During Church Service, Assaults Worshippers

Kawardha, Chattisgarh, 30 May, 2025 - On 18 May at around 11:40 AM, approximately 80–100 members of the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) stormed the compound of The Holy Kingdom School in Kawardha during a Sunday church service. Shouting “Jai Shri Ram”, the mob allegedly broke into prayer rooms, assaulted members of the congregation — including women and minors — and terrorised teenage girls hiding in washrooms.

Pastor Jose Thomas, principal of the school, has served in Kawardha for over 35 years. His son, Joshua Jose Thomas, said, “Our family has been running this school with the aim to provide education to all communities. But this time, they beat my mother and younger brother. My father was arrested. Now we are in hiding. And police won’t register our complaint.”

In a video statement, Pastor Thomas added, “Many IAS officers, police officers, doctors, engineers, and CAs (chartered accountants) have completed school from here. It’s a 35-year-old school.”

Videos of the incident show local police and media present during the assault. However, police reportedly failed to intervene and later allegedly coerced congregation members into altering their statements to support accusations of forced religious conversion. Authorities also confiscated the school’s CCTV footage from the time of the attack, which has not yet been released to the public.

Source : The Wire