Maoists blow up Christian school in Bihar

(March 31, 2010) In Bihar, eastern India, Maoists on Monday blew up a Protestant school and several other institutions in Duddha village near Bhabua, headquarters of Bihar’s Kaimur district, to protest a government crackdown. Some 40 armed men stormed the village in the early hours, police sources said. They forced villagers to stay indoors before detonating dynamite at a primary school managed by Gospel Echoing Missionary Society, GEMS, a non-denominational Christian sect. Police said the Maoists also blew up a government school and three community centers before leaving the village. The buildings suffered severe damage, but no casualties were reported. Police said they have intensified patrolling in the area and launched raids to nab the Maoists. GEMS has been active in the area for several years. The group works for the development of the poor. The village comes under Buxar Catholic diocese.
Jesuit Father Sebastian Kanekattil, its vicar general, said the Catholic Church has no center in Bhabua. He told UCA News that a priest, Fr. Thomas Vettukattil, stays in a rented place to explore ways of opening a mission there.