Five persons arrested in connection with Kolhapur prayer meet attack

The Kolhapur police have arrested five persons in connection with a right wing group from Belgavi, Karnataka suspected to be allegedly involved in connection to the attack on 12 persons during a Sunday Christian prayer meet at Kowad village in Kolhapur district on Karnataka-Maharashtra border.

“Chandgad police has earlier detained the suspects, but now they have been arrested ”said, Abhinav Deshmukh Kolhapur SP, refusing to divulge further information regarding the identities of suspects.

“The accused wanted to disrupt the religious gathering and desecrate the place, with communal intentions. We have arrested them and they have confessed to the crime,” said Deshmukh. 

The police had earlier registered a case against unidentified attackers under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 147 (punishment for rioting), Section 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), Section 295 (injuring or defiling a place of worship with the intent to insult the religion of any class), Section 307 (attempt to murder), Section 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons.

A 40-member Christian religious gathering was attacked by a dozen masked attackers with broken beer bottles, iron rods, swords and choppers. The attackers came riding on motorcycles and barged into the prayer meet. After being repelled from entering the premises, the attackers resorted to pelting those present with stones and the broken beer bottles. Twelve persons, were injured in the attack.