Priests among injured as group disrupts church inauguration in West Bengal's Basanti
A group of men disrupted the inauguration of a church at Narayantala in the Basanti area of South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, on Sunday, November 1, with members of the congregation alleging that several people, including priests, were beaten up during the ceremony.
The Bangiya Christiya Pariseba (BCP), an interfaith forum representing Christians in the State, has filed a complaint at the Basanti police station. Police reached the spot after the complaint was lodged.
Officers said that, prima facie, the incident appeared to be an internal feud between two Christian groups in the area. They added that they will investigate further and issue a more detailed statement.
Ramen Naskar, a local resident and member of the new church, said the attack took place while inauguration prayers were under way. “Some miscreants entered while we were praying and raised slogans. Many of us were physically attacked and suffered injuries,” he told mediapersons. He also alleged that women were manhandled.
Another member of the church said at least 20 people were attacked, and alleged that priests were not spared during the ceremony.
Herod Mullick, founder of the BCP, described it as an unprecedented incident in which multiple priests were beaten up at an inauguration ceremony. “Organised groups take the law into their own hands to target peaceful minorities. This is very concerning,” he said.
The incident comes ten days after three members of a Christian family were allegedly pressured to perform rituals renouncing Christianity and return to Hinduism. Police registered a First Information Report after a woman from the family filed a complaint. Thirteen people have been named in the FIR, but no arrests have been made so far.
Over the past few months, since the change of government in the State, there have been several allegations of attacks on Christian establishments, including one in the Sonarpur area of the same district.
No arrests have been announced so far in connection with Sunday's incident, and police have not confirmed the number of people injured. The Constitution guarantees every person the right to profess, practise and propagate their religion, and disputes over places of worship are to be settled through the law and the courts, not through force.
