A Pentecostal Christian who was involved in politics has been hacked to death in a church, according to reports from India."G" Dhanasekharan, aged 34, was murdered by a group of men wielding knives and sickles in Chennai in Tamil Nadu, southern India.
He had been praying at his Devasabha Church when he apparently received a phone call and stepped out of the service.
When he was surrounded by the gang of aggressive men he fled into another church, where they caught up with him and murdered him before making a get-away on three motorcycles.
The victim had been involved in local politics and was a councillor for the DMK or Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam political party, representing the local youth, The Times of India reports.
Married with two young children, he is believed to have been in business in real estate.
"We are also trying to find out whether there was any business rivalry which could have resulted in the murder," police told The Times of India.
Sajan George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians, told Agenzia Fides: "This killing is yet another proof that Christian minorities are particularly vulnerable. The trail of aggression carried out by Hindu militants to the detriment of the Pentecostal faithful is known. Police are investigating but we believe Dhanasekharan was also killed because of his faith."