By Matters India Reporter
Moninathpur, June 17, 2026: Christian families in Moninathpur village, Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal, are living in fear after the body of a 60-year-old believer was forcibly exhumed.
The remains were cremated three days after burial, according to a report by the Bangiya Christiya Pariseba (BCP), a united forum of denominational Christians in East and North East India.
The incident occurred June 10 in Moninathpur, under Narayangarh Police Station, where about 8 to 10 Santhal families have embraced Christianity. “This is neither a thrilling fiction, nor a mythological tale, nor a cheap social media ‘reel’—it is a brutal and harrowing reality,” the report said.
The deceased, Arjan Bag, died of age related ailments. His sons, Ajit and Pradeep Bag, buried him on family land in accordance with his last wishes and Christian rites, since no cemetery exists in the area. Parish priests Father Xaviers Kujur and Father Sudhir Tudu had advised the family on funeral arrangements.
But opposition quickly arose. BCP reported that “some people of different faiths from the local and neighboring villages strongly objected to the burial.”
Tensions escalated when “a mob of over a hundred people, including neighbors Shri Rakhal Bag and Pulakesh De, forcefully exhumed the mortal remains of the late Arjan Bag from the grave and cremated the body at a nearby crematorium.”
Community in panic
The exhumation has left Christian families traumatized. “Currently, the Christian families of Moninathpur village are living in extreme panic and insecurity. Worship services at their church have come to a complete standstill,” BCP wrote.
The small congregation worships at Saint Mother Teresa Church, a house based branch church established by Samar Banda, the village’s first Christian convert.
Community leaders say the act was a grave violation of religious freedom.
“Whether it is cremation on a pyre, burial at sea, or interment in the ground—if any funeral rite is not performed according to one’s own religious traditions, there can be no greater sacrilege or mental torture inflicted upon the soul of the deceased and their family,” BCP noted.
Yishai Singh of the Bangiya Khristiya Parisad and State Coordinator Victor Behera are supporting the families and pursuing legal remedies.
However, BCP reported allegations that “despite repeated contact with the police station, the police are playing a nominal role, and the main accused remain at large.”
The report concludes with an appeal: “An earnest appeal is being made to the high ranking officials of the administration and conscientious citizens of society to stand by these helpless and terrified people for the sake of religious freedom and humanity.”
(Photo supplied)