Three Christian families in Bengal’s Paschim Medinipur district have alleged that they were threatened and assaulted earlier this week by a group seeking to force them to renounce their faith, prompting police to deploy personnel in the area.
The aggrieved families, which have been residing in the area for the past 30 years and converted to Christianity around 18 months ago, have also complained to police that they were forced to participate in certain religious rituals against their wishes, a senior officer told PTI on Thursday.
She said police have registered a case based on the complaints.
Nine members of the families, residing in Chandrakona, have claimed in their police complaint that the group on October 18 and 19 assaulted and threatened them with dire consequences if they did not recant Christianity, the officer told PTI.
"A woman from one family reportedly lost consciousness after an assault. A girl from another family was also allegedly assaulted and threatened. They were also allegedly forced to participate in religious rituals against their wishes", she said, citing the police complaints.
The police officer said the accused group had allegedly warned the families not to approach police over the matter.
"A case has been initiated against people named by the families in their complaint. We are unable to disclose the names for the sake of our investigation," she said, adding that all nine members of the aggrieved families were escorted to the police station where they lodged the complaint.
"They have gone back home, and police personnel have been posted in their area to prevent any untoward incident. The situation is totally under control," the police officer said.
She said police were probing whether the incident stemmed from a local dispute, an old family feud or any other reason. "We are probing all possible angles. We do not know which political affiliation the accused people belong to. We will come out with every possible detail after the investigation is over," she added.
Several calls and messages by PTI to District Magistrate Bijin Krishna seeking his comments on the allegations have gone unanswered.
The incident comes weeks after the Bangiya Christiya Pariseba (BCP), a Christian advocacy organisation in Bengal, sought a meeting with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat over alleged attacks on churches and prayer gatherings, accusing the state government of failing to ensure impartial investigations into the incidents.
The organisation claimed that attacks, vandalism and the desecration of places of worship, often over unsubstantiated allegations of forced religious conversion, had become recurring incidents.
A report by India Hate Lab (IHL) documented at least 60 alleged hate-crime incidents targeting Christians in Bengal in the first four months of the BJP-led government, with South 24 Parganas and Paschim Medinipur accounting for the majority of the reported attacks.