Matters India Reporter
New Delhi, August 8, 2025 — Two Congress Members of Parliament have submitted adjournment motions in the Lok Sabha, seeking urgent discussions on incidents concerning minority communities.
Congress MP Hibi Eden has called for a debate on the alleged attack by approximately 70 Bajrang Dal members on two Catholic priests, a catechist, and two nuns in Jaleswar, Odisha. In his notice, Eden stated the victims were falsely accused of religious conversion and subjected to physical assault and “communal abuse.” He urged the House to condemn the violence, ensure justice for the victims, and guarantee the safety of minority communities and religious personnel.
Separately, Congress MP Manickam Tagore submitted a notice for an adjournment motion demanding a discussion on the arrests of individuals in New Delhi for speaking in Bengali. Tagore’s notice highlights that the official police report referred to the language as “Bangladeshi,” which he called a “deeply offensive” misrepresentation that attacks the cultural identity of Bengali-speaking citizens. He argued that this incident reflects a broader trend of harassment against Bengali-speaking Indians and violates the Indian Constitution. Tagore concluded by stressing that no language called “Bangladeshi” exists and urged the House to address the matter immediately.
The two adjournment motions moved by Congress MPs Hibi Eden and Manickam Tagore in the Lok Sabha are in response to two separate, recent incidents that have sparked outrage and concern regarding the treatment of minorities in India.
Background to Hibi Eden’s Motion
On August 6, 2025, an alleged attack took place in Jaleswar, Odisha. The victims were returning from a prayer service when they were stopped and accused of engaging in religious conversions. They were physically assaulted, and their phones were allegedly snatched.
This incident follows other recent attacks and concerns about violence against the Christian community, including the arrest of two nuns from Kerala in Chhattisgarh on conversion charges. The attacks are seen by some as part of a growing trend of intolerance and hostility towards Christian minorities. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) has condemned the attack, calling it a blatant violation of constitutional rights.
The attack in Odisha, which is currently under BJP rule, has been linked by some critics to the political climate, with reports that the attackers shouted slogans like “Odisha is ruled by BJP. Christians are not needed here;” and ““Those BJD days are over; now it’s BJP rule—you cannot make Christians anymore”. The incident has become a point of contention between the opposition and the ruling party.
Background to Manickam Tagore’s Motion:
The motion was in response to a notice issued by the Delhi Police that referred to the Bengali language as the “Bangladeshi language.” This notice was part of an investigation into a case involving suspected illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. This terminology, which has no linguistic basis, has been widely condemned by politicians and community leaders as “scandalous, insulting, anti-national, and unconstitutional.” Critics argue that it equates Indian citizens who speak Bengali with foreigners and is an attack on the cultural identity and dignity of all Bengali-speaking people in India.
The incident has been linked further to ongoing debates about citizenship and identity, particularly in states like West Bengal and Assam, where there have been concerns about the disenfranchisement of voters. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other opposition leaders have strongly protested the police’s language, demanding an apology from the Delhi Police and the Union Home Ministry. The controversy has been amplified by comments from a BJP IT cell chief who allegedly claimed that “there is no language called Bengali.”