Three Christian families in Chandrakona alleged they were assaulted and threatened on 18 and 19 October. The victims said attackers forced them to renounce their faith and join rituals. Police deployed personnel in the area to keep peace. A senior officer said, "The situation is totally under control," during investigations.
Police deployed in Chandrakona after families allege they were assaulted and forced to participate in religious rituals
Three Christian families in Chandrakona allege assault and threats on 18 and 19 October.
Police register case, deploy personnel and investigate possible motives.
Allegations emerge amid wider reports of attacks on Christian communities and places of worship in Bengal.
Three Christian families in West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district have alleged that they were assaulted and threatened by a group of people seeking to force them to renounce their faith, prompting police to deploy personnel in the area.
The families, who have lived in the Chandrakona area for around 30 years and converted to Christianity about 18 months ago, have also alleged that they were compelled to participate in religious rituals against their wishes, a senior police officer told PTI on Thursday, 22 October.
Nine members of the families named in the complaints alleged that the incidents took place on 18 and 19 October. They claimed that the group assaulted them and threatened them with serious consequences if they refused to abandon Christianity. The group allegedly warned them against approaching the police.
A woman from one of the families reportedly lost consciousness after being assaulted, while a girl from another family was also allegedly attacked and threatened, the officer said, citing the complaints.
.Bengal: Now Christians too in the crosshairs of Hindutva goons. Police have registered a case against people named in the complaints. The officer declined to disclose their identities, citing the ongoing investigation.
All nine complainants were escorted to the police station, where they lodged their complaints. They have since returned home, and police personnel have been deployed in the area to prevent further incidents. "The situation is totally under control," the officer said.
Police are investigating whether the alleged assault and threats stemmed from a local dispute, an old family feud or another reason. The officer said the police had not established the political affiliations, if any, of those accused.
District magistrate Bijin Krishna did not respond to calls and messages from PTI seeking comment.
Recent concerns over attacks on Christians in Bengal
The allegations come amid a series of reported incidents involving Christian communities, prayer meetings and places of worship across West Bengal.
A report published by Scroll in September, drawing on an investigation by Alt News , documented 35 incidents involving attacks on Christians and disruptions of prayer services between 1 July and 20 September. Separately, India Hate Lab documented at least 60 incidents targeting Christians between 13 May and 20 September, according to reports on its findings. These are independently compiled figures, not official police statistics.
.No country for Christians either. In September, reports also emerged of a Christian family in Howrah district alleging repeated attacks and pressure to abandon Christianity. In October, a Catholic church in Jalalkhali in Nadia district was reportedly attacked amid allegations of religious conversion, leaving several people injured.
On 5 October, the Bangiya Christiya Pariseba, an umbrella body representing Christian denominations in West Bengal, submitted complaints to the National Human Rights Commission, the West Bengal Human Rights Commission and the National Commission for Minorities, alleging a pattern of intimidation, violence and disruption of prayer gatherings.