Police in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh watched as fundamentalist Hindus attacked the Christian nephew of Arun Shourie, a prominent journalist and member of India's upper house of Parliament.

Chandrakant Shourie, his wife Rebecca, their son Ashish and some friends and neighbors were allegedly attacked by six members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on December 31, 1999, in Nagod, a remote town about 1000 kilometers southeast of New Delhi.

During the attack, the six men, armed with sticks, shouted, "Kill this Christian. We will make Nagod another Orissa," a reference to the murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons in January 1999. The group abused and beat Chandrakant Shourie before family members locked him in a room for his own safety. Rebecca Shourie suffered a wound on her hand, and their son Ashish needed five stitches on his right hand. Three friends were badly beaten. "God saved us," Rebecca Shourie said.

The Hindu group had previously tried to disrupt prayer services in Nagod.

Chandrakant Shourie told Compass that the head of the VHP in Bombay, Ashok Chowgule, called him and told him not to blame the VHP, as they were being falsely accused of involvement in the attack.

The Sangh Parivar (family of Hindu groups) claims Hindus are being forced to convert to Christianity. However, Chandrakant Shourie told Compass he became a Christian of his own accord.

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In a January 15 letter to the Bhopal director of police, Chandrakant Shourie noted that 15 days after the incident, "The main culprits roam about freely, indulging in a malicious campaign of character assassination and lies, and continuing to vitiate the atmosphere with hatred and poison. The police registered a counter case against ...