Hindutva Group Attacks Christian Family in West Bengal Cemetery, Sparking Wave of Religious Hate Crimes

A Christian family was allegedly attacked by a Hindutva group while bidding farewell to a departed soul in a cemetery inside a church premises in West Bengal. The incident occurred on August 14 at St Claret Church in Sahanagar town of Purba Bardhaman district. To everyone’s horror, the coffin, which was lowered down for burial, was forcefully pulled up by the mob. When priest Father Samuel Hembrom objected, the mob reportedly demanded to see papers for the burial ground. “We said give us some time to get them from the church. But they did not allow the burial,” The Indian Express quoted him as saying. The body was later taken to another cemetery in Bardhaman town. Purba Bardhaman Superintendent of Police (SP) Pushpa dismissed the assault, saying the deceased did not belong to the area, leading to the “confusion.” There has been a spike in religious hate crimes ever since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in the state in May this year. Back-to-back cases against Christians were reported between August 23 and 30. The incidents include disrupting prayer meetings, attacks on pastors and worshippers, and allegations of forced religious conversion. On August 23, a mob, chanting slogans, entered a house in Uluberia town of Howrah district where Sunday prayers were being held, alleging “forced conversions.” They attacked a group of 60 people and damaged furniture. “Since that day, we have not held any prayer meet,” said Pastor Mithun Hazra. Two days later, another prayer meet at the Church of the Grace came under Hindutva attack in Ghusuri town of Howrah district. “When we went to file a complaint, we were made to wait for hours. Later, we were questioned about the church and funds,” recalled Father Suraj Saroj. The following day, on August 26, a pastor and his wife were attacked by a far-right leader named Sutradhar, who claimed the couple were luring poor people into Christianity. Initially, the pastor was scared to file a complaint, fearing repercussions. “I filed it via email,” he was quoted by The Indian Express . On August 30, Hindutva supporters barged into houses in Jagatballavpur in Howrah and Hingalganj in North 24 Parganas on similar allegations. Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Pradeepta Mukherjee accused the BJP of indulging in “politics of fear,” alleging that the party was increasingly portraying Muslims as foreigners and targeting members of the Christian community. “It has now become part of their job to dub Muslims as foreigners and attack the houses of members of the Christian community,” Mukherjee said.