In the hinterlands of Bengal, mostly hidden from the attention of the mainstream media, Hindutva outfits are mounting a sustained assault against small Christian communities.
Since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed power in the state, these minority communities have faced rising hostility. Hindutva groups have attacked community members, disrupted church services and vandalised churches, frequently alleging forced conversion or proselytisation as justification for the harassment and violence.
Police have registered FIRs in several of these incidents, but no action has been taken against the perpetrators. Instead, victims are being taken to police stations, said Bangiya Christiya Pariseba (BCP) founder Herod Mullick.
“Over the past two-and-a-half to three months, such incidents have increased across districts, following a similar pattern. We have repeatedly sought a meeting with the chief minister, demanding an impartial investigation. But the government is not paying heed. So many people are being beaten, crosses are being broken, and someone or the other is being subjected to harassment every other day. The chief minister has not said a single word. We are all frightened and anxious,” Mullick told Alt News.
Asked about the allegations of forced conversion, he said, “Conversion does not happen by simply gathering people and sprinkling water on them. False narratives are being deliberately created. The Christian church is totally opposed to converting people forcefully or through fear. If any group is engaging in anything unlawful, we dissociate ourselves from it.”
Mullick explained that an established church is a long-standing congregation with its own church building, while a free or house church comprises smaller congregations, often of first-generation Christians, who are not affiliated with an established church. In most of the cases, these house churches are facing the attacks.
Alt News has documented around 35 such incidents from July to September 20.
September 20: Khejuri, East Midnapore
A group of around 50 people affiliated with Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal raided a Church in Dekhali Jalpai village of Khejuri Block II, East Midnapore, during Sunday prayer service on September 20, demanding that the church be immediately shut down.
Video shows one of the members of the mob saying, “Christianity is not an Indian culture” and that the Bible was not written in India or in an Indian language. The discussion soon escalated into a confrontation, with worshippers allegedly being assaulted, heckled and manhandled.
This story was originally published in altnews.in. Read the full story here.