About 100 alleged Bajrang Dal members barged into a private home and attacked a group of Christians participating in a prayer service on Sunday afternoon in the Chhattisgarh village of Amleshwar, part of chief minister Bhupesh Baghel’s Assembly constituency of Patan.

When the police were called, they stood and watched as the intruders assaulted some of the Christians, Dr Vinay Sahu, the dentist at whose home the service was being held, told TheTelegraph.

Dr Sahu and several other prayer participants were allegedly taken to the police station, detained and threatened with jail for “disturbing peace”. No case has been filed against the attackers, Chhattisgarh Christian Forum president Arun Pannalal said.

Pannalal said that about 50 Christians were praying at Dr Sahu’s home in Amleshwar, located in Durg district and about 16km from state capital Raipur.

“All of a sudden, a mob of unarmed Bajrang Dal members started shouting and forced the members to open the door of the house. They abused the members and accused them of carrying out conversions. They threatened to assault them. Some of the Christians informed the local police,” Pannalal said.

“The police came but, instead of acting against the intruding Bajrang Dal members, began threatening the dentist. They took several Christian members to the local police station. They asked why they had conducted a prayer service at a private home and threatened to send them to jail for ‘disturbing the peace’.”

He added: “They detained nearly 20 people (Christians) in the police station. It was only after we reached the police station and exerted pressure that they released them in the evening.”

Dr Sahu said that he and nine other Christians had been taken into preventive arrest before being released at 8pm on a personal recognisance (PR) bond, which is a written undertaking to appear in court whenever required.

Dr Sahu said the Bajrang Dal — youth wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad — had carried out a similar attack on a prayer service at his home in 2021.

“We have been conducting prayer services at our house since 2019. A similar protest was held at our house by the Bajrang Dal in 2021, and that time too we were threatened with violence if we did not stop the prayers,” Dr Sahu said.

“But it’s our house and we haven’t ever forced anyone to attend the service. All those attending the prayer service on Sunday were Christians. Nor do we use mikes and cause noise pollution. We fail to understand the reason for the protest and such attacks.”

Dr Sahu said that “about five” of the Christians had suffered bruises and were treated at local clinics.

“We were surprised that the Bajrang Dal members attacked our members right in front of the police, who remained mute spectators,” he said.

“More than 100 Bajrang Dal supporters were in the police station when we were taken there.”

Durg superintendent of police Abhishek Pallava told this newspaper that “it was a small incident and has been resolved” before hanging up.

Pannalal said he was thinking of petitioning the high court for a directive to the police to act against the Bajrang Dal attackers.