Assist News Service yesterday reported that the Jesus Film crew has been attacked by a group of Hindu extremists while carrying out their mission in the Uttar Pradesh state, Northern India
The JESUS Film Project, spearheaded by the Campus Crusade for Christ, distributes the film "JESUS" - a two-hour docudrama about the life of Christ based on the Gospel of Luke. The film has been seen across the world and translated into hundreds of languages since its initial release in 1979.
This time the Film has now stepped out into the land of Northern India, however, the local Hindu extremist groups seem have reacted vigorously to the movement. Assist News Service said a raid was carried out by at least 35 Hindu extremists on a showing of the Jesus Film.
George Ninan, the South Asia Director for Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC) described, "When the film showing was going on, around 35-40 men attacked them, tearing up the screen and beating up people."
During the attack, all the viewers fled the scene. Karan Bahadur, the leader of the film team suffered the most. "He could not escape and was badly beaten and became unconscious," Ninan said.
It was reported by Assist News Service that Bahadur was taken captive, tortured, and questioned in detail about his family and work. The following night he was released near some railroad tracks and told to run for his life. He ran as far as his strength allowed, then hid himself in bushes that lined the track. The next morning Bahadur jumped aboard a slow-moving freight train, then eventually made his way by truck to Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state.
After Bahadur was found, the Jesus Film crew reported the incident to the local police, but they have refused to deal entirely with the matter. The police did recover some of the film equipment from the school compound, but the generator used to supply power for the equipment is still missing.
