West Bengal: A Christian woman in West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district has accused a group linked with the Bajrang Dal of physically assaulting her, stripping her, and subjecting her to a "purification" ritual to force three families to convert to Hinduism during Durga Puja.
According to a report by NDTV, the woman stated in her complaint that a mob stormed her residence on October 18, pressuring them to renounce their faith.
"They created pressure on us to give up our faith in Lord Jesus Christ," the complaint stated. She recalled losing consciousness after being struck on the head, adding, "When I was partially conscious, I realised that my clothes had been torn off and that Ranjit Dolui, Pacha Patra and Bapi Mondal had removed my saree."
The FIR names several individuals, including Ranjit Dolui, Pacha Patra, Bapi Mondal, Dilip Mishra, Bappaditya Chatterjee, Tarun Mondal, Arun Mondal, Madan Manna, Ajit Dolui, Purnima Das, Suchitra Patar, Monimoy Mukherjee, and Mithu Dolui.
Woman Alleges Assault, Threats Of Sexual Violence, And Theft
The complaint alleged that the accused also targeted minors and stole money from one of the residences. One of the accused, Madan Manna, used explicit slurs for the victim's 16-year-old daughter and threatened sexual violence, while a 15-year-old girl was "held by the throat... with the intention of killing her." Additionally, two women from neighbouring families were struck with bamboo sticks, and Rs 20,000 in cash was taken from one house.
The group threatened to burn the three families alive if they informed the police. Although police personnel visited the location on October 18 after receiving a phone call, the harassment continued over the following two days.
Forced To Do Religious Rituals Conducted Against Our Will
The ordeal escalated on October 19 when two men forcibly brought the woman, her husband, and three others to a Durga Puja pandal in nearby Dingal village. "There, we were forced to perform specific religious rituals against our will," she said.
On the morning of October 20, individuals returned to take her husband and another relative away by force. "They threatened that if we did not give up our faith in Jesus Christ, all of us would be killed," the complaint noted.
The terrorised families subsequently requested police protection, which authorities deployed.
Congress And Trinamool Congress Demand Immediate Action
The incident has sparked widespread outrage, with opposition parties demanding immediate action.
Senior Congress leader KC Venugopal wrote a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, urging the Ministry of Home Affairs to intervene immediately and arrest all individuals named in the complaint.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose stated that the party's "fact-finding team" had travelled across Bengal and found that "Christians are being threatened and attacked if they don't 'return' to Hinduism."
She further alleged that Christians are being denied burial and civic rights, adding, "Christian congregations are being intimidated by loud music just outside mass or prayer meetings, and churches are being vandalised by mobs."
(With Inputs From PTI)