West Bengal Church Attack: Priests, Devotees Injured During Inauguration in South 24 Parganas
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Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
A church inauguration ceremony turned violent in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district after a group of 30-35 people allegedly entered the premises and attacked priests and devotees. Several people, including Bishop Subrata Chakraborty, were injured in the incident. The attack took place on Saturday at Narayantala village under the Basanti police station area. Police have received a complaint and started an investigation into the matter.
According to the police, Bishop Subrata Chakraborty, several priests and devotees had gathered at the church for its inauguration. During the ceremony, a group of people allegedly entered the premises and started assaulting those present. Women were also reportedly attacked during the incident.
Women Allegedly Forced to Remove Traditional Bangles
According to the complaint, the attackers also asked women to remove their traditional 'shakha' (white bangles) before forcing them to leave the church premises. The group reportedly damaged the cross inside the church and broke the mobile phones of people who tried to record the incident. Church members also claimed that the attackers threatened to stop religious activities at the premises.
Police reportedly said they received a complaint about the incident and have started looking into the allegations. No further details about arrests have been reported so far.
Christian Organisation Condemns the Attack
The Bangiya Christiya Pariseba (BCP), a Christian organisation, strongly condemned the incident and called it an attempt to intimidate the minority community. Herod Mullick, the organisation's founder, state secretary and working president, reportedly said that several priests were beaten during the inauguration ceremony in the presence of the bishop. He also raised concerns about the safety of the Christian community.
The incident comes around two weeks after three Christian families in West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district filed a police complaint alleging that some people threatened and assaulted them to force them to leave Christianity. The families, who had converted to Christianity around 18 months ago, also alleged that they were forced to take part in religious rituals against their wishes.
