Police Assigned Guards to Christian Households After Alleged Bajrang Dal Attack in West Bengal

Police posted guards outside the homes of three Christian families in Chandrakona on Saturday, October 24, after a First Information Report (FIR) accused members of the Bajrang Dal of assaulting them to force a return to Hinduism. The FIR, filed on October 20 at Chandrakona police station, stems from a complaint by a woman who said her family and two others were threatened with rape and death between October 18 and 20. She named thirteen accused linked to the Bajrang Dal. According to the complaint, the accused entered the woman's house, stripped her in front of onlookers, forced a public "purification" bath and compelled the family to attend a nearby Durga Puja pandal in Dingal village, where they were made to perform Hindu rituals against their will. Her 16‑year‑old daughter was reportedly subjected to verbal abuse and rape threats. The case has been registered under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including offenses related to insulting a woman's modesty and attempted murder. The complainant has asked police to relocate the families to a safer area. Herod Mullick, founder of the Bangiya Christiya Pariseba (BCP), confirmed police protection but noted that no arrests have been made yet. He said the incident is part of a pattern, with 45 attacks on Christians reported in recent months and FIRs lodged in about a dozen cases. A BCP fact‑finding team will meet the affected families soon. Earlier in the month, a Trinamool Congress fact‑finding team led by Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose visited several districts, reporting that Christians faced threats and that churches had been vandalised.

Context

Communal tensions in West Bengal have risen as minority groups report intimidation aimed at forced conversion. Legal actions under the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita reflect the state's effort to address such incidents, while political scrutiny continues.