Mob attacks Sunday Mass: 12 people injured during prayer meeting in Kolhapur

At least 12 people were injured when they were attacked by a group of persons during a prayer meeting in Maharashtra's Kolhapur district, police said Tuesday.

The victims were attending the Sunday Mass at the residence of Bhimsen Chauhan in Kolhapur's Kowad village, located on the Karnataka border when the incident happened around noon, a police official said.

A group of 10-15 men armed with swords, iron rods and glass bottles reached the residence on motorcycles and attacked the congregation, he said.

They threw stones on those attending the prayer and tried to barge into the house. But some women, who were part of the prayer meeting, forced the attackers to back off by throwing chilly powder on them, the official said.

Twelve people were injured in the attack and they were admitted to a hospital, he said.

Senior police officials were monitoring the situation in the area, he said, adding that efforts were on to ascertain the reason behind the attack. 

#Maharashtra: Attack on Sunday Mass in Kolhapur: Police has formed five teams to track down the 10-12 unidentified accused involved in the incident. Teams have been sent to Belgaum, Karnataka to locate them.

— ANI (@ANI) December 25, 2018