In an attempt to stop conversions to the Christian faith in the state of Bihar, India, a 25-year-old man detonated a bomb in a church in the city of Baraw on 08.03.09, shooting and wounding the pastor. Police stated that the man was ready to kill the priest and then himself.
However, church members caught the assailant. According to the man's statement, he was against conversions and wanted to kill the priest to stop them.
According to the police, the assailant had no contact with extremist Hindu nationalist groups. According to local Christians, the number of Hindu extremists in the area has increased. According to a leader from the Gospel Echoing Missionary Society, the attack could be because a Hindu family in the town of Mithnipur had become Christians six months earlier after being cured of a mental illness. The assailant also lives in Mithnipur village.
