Manulaben Dinana, the wife of Pastor Dharmesh Ninama, an Assembly of God missionary in Dahod district, Gujarat, was assaulted and kidnapped on May 29 while in the local market. According to a July 9 report from Compass Direct, several eye-witnesses saw the incident, identifying the ten men as a local group of Hindu militants, led by Devjibhai Hirabhai Pargi.
Despite the eye-witness accounts, including identification of the attackers, the police refused to arrest or even question the men, even though her husband provided them with a list of names and addresses. Ninama then went to the homes of the attackers with some of his relatives. In the home of one, Shanker Maal, they found Dinana bound and gagged. However, they were attacked and forced to flee. The police came an hour later, only to find that Dinana had been moved. The police would not search the area. Incredibly, the next day, in the presence of the husband, the police chief called the kidnappers asking that they release her. The kidnappers admitted that they had her and agreed to do so soon. There has been no action by either the police or kidnappers, however, despite Ninama's repeated pleas for help.
Police finally registered the case on June 12 only after the All India Christian Council appealed to state authorities. They have charged the men with abduction and rape, but have not taken any action to arrest the men, even after six weeks. Christians in the area believe that part of the reason for the inaction of the police is that the attackers are members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal, both militant Hindu organizations. They also have allies in the local legislative assembly.
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