Coimbatore BJP Leader Arrested In Attack On Christian Prayer Hall: Cops

Chennai: Four people, including a local BJP leader, have been arrested in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore after a Christian prayer hall was vandalised and at least one person was injured on Saturday, the police said. They have blamed the attack on a group of BJP supporters.

The prayer meet organisers, however, have said three people were injured at the pre-Christmas event.

Nandkumar, a local BJP leader and three others - all residents of area - have been arrested over the incident, the police said. "BJP workers threw chairs asking the group to stop the programme when they were distributing help to local people," a police officer told NDTV.
 A case has been registered against the Pastor Vinod Kumar as well for allowing the situation to flare up. He is part of the New Life Prophetic Charitable Trust that runs the prayer hall.

The police say the BJP had objected to the prayer hall following which the local Tahsildar had ordered its closure. "Despite that order, organisers conducted the celebrations today," the officer added.

The Coimbatore district administration had earlier directed around 30 such prayer halls to be shut down following objections from BJP and Hindu outfits who complained about "noise and disturbance" during prayers. However, the Madras High Court has stayed the order in five cases.

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"We've ensured prayers are not disrupted in these halls following the court order," the police officer in Coimbatore said.