60 attacks on Christians reported in West Bengal since BJP took power
West Bengal has recorded at least 60 incidents targeting Christians since the BJP came to power in the state, including raids on prayer meetings, physical assaults, vandalism and public humiliation, according to a new report by Washington based thinktank India Hate Lab (IHL).
The incidents were documented between May 13 and September 20 across 13 districts, with 52 involving raids on private prayer meetings, homes, churches and other Christian gatherings, while eight involved physical assaults, mob violence or vandalism.
IHL said it also recorded five public hate speech events targeting Christians, sometimes alongside Muslims, and three protests focused on allegations of religious conversion.
The report said the incidents frequently involved members of Hindu nationalist organisations, including Hindu Jagaran Manch, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal, Hindu Suraksha Samiti, Hindu Ekta Manch and Hindu Sanghati.
According to IHL, the incidents followed a recurring pattern. Members of these groups allegedly entered homes, churches or rented venues where Christians were praying, accused organisers of conducting religious conversions and questioned attendees about their religious identities. In several cases, they allegedly demanded to inspect Aadhaar cards.
South 24 Parganas and Paschim Medinipur recorded the highest number of raids, with 13 each, the report said.
IHL said perpetrators themselves sometimes referred to the BJP's assumption of power while carrying out the raids. In Panskura on September 3, VHP and Bajrang Dal members allegedly disrupted a Christian gathering and warned that conversion activities would not be permitted in “New Bengal”, citing Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's opposition to alleged religious conversion.
In Barasat on July 12, members of Hindu Jagaran Manch allegedly threatened Auxilium Salesian Sisters and said their activities would no longer be tolerated now that the BJP was in power.
Women among targets
The report also documented incidents in which Christian women were allegedly targeted over their religious identity and appearance.
IHL said women were questioned about wearing sakha-pola and sindoor, traditional Bengali marital symbols, with some allegedly pressured to remove them.
In Ramnagar on September 5, Hindu nationalist members allegedly told Christian women to remove their sakha-pola and mocked them for referring to Jesus as “Swami”. Similar incidents were reported in Kulpi on September 6 and 11.
On July 18 in Baruipur, a group of Christian women carrying Bibles and wearing sakha-pola and sindoor were allegedly followed and heckled by members of a Hindu nationalist group, who called them “sold out Hindus” and “bejaat Hindus”.
IHL said several incidents escalated into physical violence and vandalism. A church in South 24 Parganas was allegedly vandalised on June 10, while a church under construction in Subhashgram was attacked on July 5, with crosses reportedly destroyed.
On August 25, a raid by VHP and Bajrang Dal members on a home in Magrahat allegedly turned violent. The same day in Howrah, a mob allegedly detained two people accused of facilitating conversion and dragged them through the area while chanting “Jai Shri Ram”.
The report said police were present during several incidents and that Christian attendees were sometimes detained following allegations made by Hindu nationalist groups.
In Raniganj on June 21, a mob allegedly led by VHP leader Shubham Raut assaulted people attending a Sunday prayer meeting before handing 20-25 attendees over to police for investigation into alleged religious conversion.
IHL also documented police presence during raids in Purulia, Hijla and Kulpi, while in Chaitanyapur, Haldia, police allegedly accompanied Hindu nationalist supporters while detaining two women distributing Christian literature.
Social media used to document attacks
The report said all 60 incidents were recorded and shared on Facebook or Instagram by those involved. Some raids and confrontations were allegedly livestreamed, allowing social media platforms to be used to document and amplify the incidents.
IHL argued that the concentration of incidents, the repeated involvement of the same organisations and the references by perpetrators to the change in state government point to an increasingly organised pattern of vigilante activity.
The report noted that all documented incidents began after May 13, with the frequency increasing in subsequent months. The escalation was particularly pronounced in September, when five raids were recorded within a 48-hour period on September 19 and 20.