Christians in West Bengal injured in mob violence recount their ordeal before a people’s tribunal
A number of Christian gatherings and prayer meetings have faced brutal mob attacks in West Bengal in recent months, according to more than a dozen survivors of the violence who recounted their experiences before the People’s Tribunal for the Persecution of Christians in West Bengal here on Monday (Nov. 2, 2026).
Women shared accounts of being beaten and even stripped, assaults on family members and vandalism when mobs accused them of participating in religious conversion. Most of those who spoke, including some Christian priests, said the perpetrators of the violence had not been arrested. A number of them claimed that police attitudes towards such violence had changed after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in the state this summer.
The survivors were largely from various districts of South Bengal. The tribunal, held at the Calcutta Muslim Institute, was organized by Karwan-e-Mohabbat, Sabar Institute and Aamra Ek Sachetan Prayas.
Brutal attacks
A woman from Keshpur in Paschim Medinipur district said her house was attacked by a mob of 80 to 100 people when a prayer meeting was held on October 2. The woman said she was stripped and beaten by several people in the crowd, which included several women. “When they were leaving after the attack, they raised slogans and said the place has been rid of Christians,” said the woman, who did not want to be named.
Sampa Karmakar of Haripal in Hooghly district said a mob not only attacked a prayer meeting next to her residence on September 13, but also assaulted her family members and vandalized household appliances.
Mamata Joshua from Asansol in Paschim Bardhaman district said a prayer meeting next to her residence was attacked on May 31 and despite assurances from the local BJP MLA, she has since been receiving threats and holding prayer meetings in fear.
Priest arrested
In all cases, the mob accused their targets of engaging in religious conversion and threatened them with further violence if they held Christian prayers.
Anup Kumar Ghosh, a priest at a church in Midnapore city, was arrested by the police after a mob attacked his church on July 3 when he was hosting a feast after a wedding ceremony. “I have been charged under several sections, including the charge of attempted murder. Even though I have been released on bail after 41 days behind bars, I have to report to the police station every week,” the priest said.
There were reports of violence from Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah and Hooghly districts. A number of survivors said that there was a change in the attitude of the police after May 4, when the BJP came to power, although some also recalled that they had been targeted for their faith before, especially between 2023 and 2025.
Domestic community in danger
Reverend Arpan Rana, state general secretary of the National Christian Council, said most of the targets in the past few months have been home fellowships or prayer meetings held at home. Under the West Bengal Religious Buildings and Places Act, 1985, there are restrictions and conditions for holding religious prayers in public and private buildings that are not designated as religious places, he said.
Herod Mullick, founder of Bangiya Christiya Pariseba (BCP), an interfaith forum representing Christians in the state, said there have been cases where churches have also been attacked, citing the example of a mob attack on a church in the Basanti police station area of South 24 Parganas on October 31.
Mr Mullick added that the US-based research project India Hate Lab had documented at least 60 cases of hate crimes and targeted attacks against Christians in West Bengal in 13 districts between May 13 and September 20 this year.
Claims of increased violence under BJP rule
The People’s Tribunal panel consisted of former Chief Information Commissioner of India Wajahat Habibullah, former bureaucrat and Rajya Sabha MP Jawhar Sircar, journalist John Dayal and activists Aakar Patel, Vidya Dinkar and Harsh Mander, among others.
While Mr. Habibullah said the attacks had greatly damaged Bengali’s spiritual tradition, Mr. Mander asked how it took just four months after the BJP came to power to brutalize society in the state and instill fear in a section of the people. Mr. Patel also highlighted the timing of these events and said that Bengalis should not think that they are less vulnerable than other parts of the country.
Published – 02 Nov 2026 21:39 IST