With an intention to avenge the insult of Ramcharitmanas, a poem by Tulsidas based on the Ramayana, two upper-caste Hindu friends from Uttar Pradesh hatched a conspiracy to stir up trouble in Madhya Pradesh. With the help of Google Maps and photos, Akash Tiwari (25) and Avneesh Pandey (24), zeroed in on a half dozen churches and shrines in Narmadapuram and Bhopal district to target it.
On February 12, when the local Christian community gathered for Sunday prayer meet at the church in Narmadapuram district, they found that the window of the hall was broken. The name of the Hindu deity Ram was inscribed on the walls and curtains, carpets and furniture were left charred.
Tiwari, who has been preparing for civil services after completing a Master of Library and Information Science degree, lives in Jhansi. His friend Pandey, an MBA graduate, is a resident of Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh. Pandey moved to Itarsi town of Narmadapuram 18 months ago to pursue a Railway apprenticeship at Itarsi Railway station.
This story was originally published in boomlive.in. Read the full story here