Who Are Jehovah's Witnesses? Group Targeted In Serial Bomb Blasts In India For Their Beliefs

After a series of explosions hit a prayer meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses in India's Kerala earlier this week, a self-proclaimed former member of the group surrendered to police, claiming he orchestrated the blasts because he felt the sect's beliefs were wrong.

At least three people were killed and more than 50 others were injured in the incident Sunday. The explosions took place on the final day of a 3-day event, attended by around 2,000 members of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

India's southern state of Kerala has a notable presence of Jehovah's Witnesses, a Christian denomination that originated in the United States in the late 19th century. Today, the group is known across the globe for its door-to-door evangelism.

Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in certain strongly-held beliefs of mainstream Christianity such as the Holy Trinity — the doctrine that God exists in three equal persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit. They also reject Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter and believe they have pagan origins.

The group also does not believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ or see him as Almighty, but they do honor him as the Son of God.

With the Bible serving as the foundation of their beliefs, Jehovah's Witnesses have no priests and do not approve of traditional priesthood like mainstream churches.

The group also distances itself from certain social norms. They oppose blood transfusion, abstain from divorce except in the case of adultery and reject modern evolutionary theories. They also do not vote, join politics, serve in the military, salute the national flag or acknowledge symbols of nationalism.

The late singer Michael Jackson was raised as a Jehovah's Witness while singer Prince remained with the sect until his death. Tennis star Serena Williams was also raised as a Jehovah's Witness and had her baptism ceremony this year at the Jehovah's Witness Assembly in West Palm Beach, Florida.

In India, the group reportedly has 56,747 ministers teaching the Bible and 947 congregations across the world's most populated country. The ratio of Jehovah's Witnesses to the total population of India is one to 25,038, according to the group's website.

Their presence in India can be traced back to 1905 and they first established an office in the city of Mumbai in 1926.

"Jehovah's Witnesses generally worship without hindrance in India. However, in some states, they have been victims of mob attacks and other acts of religious intolerance," the website reads.

Jehovah's Witnesses reportedly have been the target of over 150 violent mob attacks in India since 2002. In Sunday's blasts that occurred in the town of Kalamassery, two women and a 12-year-old girl were killed, while more than 50 people were wounded.

Before surrendering to police, the suspect, identified as Dominic Martin, shared a video on social media, claiming he targeted the group's Sunday morning event because he felt the sect's beliefs were wrong and that they were "anti-national."

"I had been a member of Jehovah's Witnesses for the last 16 years. I realized that their stand is anti-national and wanted them to rectify it. But they were not ready for it. I could understand this is a wrong ideology," he said. "They inject poison into the brains of children that they should not take even a sweet from others. They are asked not to sing the national anthem or join the defense service. They teach that all people of the world would perish and only they will live. What should we do with the people who long for the ruin of the entire people in the world? I could not find a solution."

Police are still collecting evidence to verify Martin's claims and have not yet confirmed whether he is the mastermind behind the explosions. Local news outlets reported officers are also probing the involvement of other people in the blasts.

International Business Times tried to reach out to the station house officer at Kalamassery Police Station but did not immediately receive a response. The Public Information Department of Jehovah's Witnesses in India said it will issue a formal response to IBT.