Kolkata (AsiaNews) - In an alarming escalation of targeted violence against religious minorities in West Bengal, two house churches were brutally attacked by groups of Hindu nationalist right-wing vigilantes within 24 hours last weekend. The incidents took place in Barrackpore, in the North 24 Parganas district, and in Khejuri, in the Purba Medinipur district.
The coordinated violence has sparked deep outrage within the local Christian community. Human rights organisations are denouncing a systematic pattern of intimidation and alleged administrative inaction on the part of state authorities.
On Sunday 20 September, at around midday, a prayer service was taking place at the Dekhali Church and Mission in Dekhali Jalpai, within the jurisdiction of Khejuri police station. The service was being led by Pastor Chintamoni Midde when a crowd of over 50 unidentified individuals, claiming affiliation with the right-wing group Bajrang Dal, surrounded the building.
According to the formal complaint lodged by the witness Bhagyadhar Jana, the attackers forced their way in, physically assaulting him and the pastor with punches and kicks, and hurling religiously motivated insults at the assembled congregation. Before leaving, they threatened those present, ordering them to immediately cease all church activities and leave the area.
The local branch of the Bangiya Christiya Parisheba (BCP), a major regional Christian organisation, intervened by contacting the Khejuri police and filing a formal complaint. The police arrived on the scene to defuse the situation, but tensions remain very high.
The day before, on Saturday 19 September at around 2.00 pm, a similar incident took place at Billa Depot, within the jurisdiction of the Mohanpur police station in Barrackpore. A crowd of 50–60 people, who were intoxicated and armed with iron bars and blunt weapons, stormed the private residence of Puja Satyaki, where an afternoon prayer meeting was taking place.
According to witness Sanjit Sardar, eight or nine worshippers were waiting for others to arrive when the mob ransacked the house, looting household goods, tearing up Bibles and destroying hymn books. Three women were beaten and insulted, then dragged out of the house and handed over to Mohanpur police station. BCP lawyers, Aditya Tewari and Samarjit Dey, intervened with the police. Whilst the police were attending to the victims, a hostile mob identified as members of the Bajrang Dal besieged the station, creating an intimidating atmosphere that delayed the release of the traumatised women.
The Bangiya Christiya Parisheba has reported to AsiaNews an alarming rise in unprovoked attacks, vandalism and violence against churches and worshippers across West Bengal and other states. Since the BJP won the elections and took control of the local government, extremist groups have reportedly been acting with total impunity, circulating videos of their violent actions online and damaging India’s secular and democratic reputation.
The BCP has appealed to Mohan Bhagwat, leader of the Sangh Parivar, citing his recent speeches in New York and London focusing on harmony, and asking him to use his moral authority to halt the attacks. In a letter dated 17 September addressed to the Chief Minister of West Bengal, the BCP had already raised concerns regarding the security of places of worship. The letter notes that over 1.3 million Christians live in West Bengal – a community that has been engaged for centuries in education, healthcare and social welfare, but which today faces false narratives, propaganda, violence and harassment.
Over the past three months, the BCP states that it has documented 26 cases of persecution and lodged 11 formal complaints, but in most cases these have gone unaddressed. It is therefore calling for transparent investigations to identify the perpetrators and for adequate police protection for churches, prayer halls and vulnerable Christian institutions in all districts.
