MYSORE, KARNATAKA, SOUTH INDIA, February 20, 2002: Police in the southern Indian city of Mysore have arrested nine members of the hardline Hindu group Bajrang Dal in connection with an attack on a church. Police said activists attacked the church at Hitkal village and assaulted worshippers during Sunday prayers. They said the men demanded the priest end alleged efforts to convert local villagers, who are mainly Hindu, to Christianity. The Karnataka Home Minister M Kharge said police protection had been given to churches in the area following the attack. Bajrang Dal has denied that any of its members were involved in the attack. A spokesman for the group said he attack was a result of local resentment against the issue of conversion.
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