By Matters India Reporter
Kolkata, 10 August 2026: Two alarming incidents of intimidation against Christian house fellowships in West Bengal have drawn sharp condemnation from the Bangiya Christiya Pariseba (BCP), which has called for vigilance against hate campaigns and urged civil society to uphold Bengal’s tradition of communal harmony.
On August 9, a regular house fellowship service of the Mizo Synod (Mizoram Presbyterian Church) at Haridevpur, Kolkata, was disrupted when intruders chanting religious slogans attempted to storm the prayer hall.
Evangelist‑in‑Charge Anil Dolui tried to reason with them, but the miscreants forced entry, levelling baseless allegations of conversion and threatening the landlord with dire consequences if worship was not stopped within ten days.
In a striking show of solidarity, the Hindu house owner stood firmly with the worshippers, while local political worker Kamal Bagchi condemned the orchestrated unrest.
Police from Haridevpur station responded promptly, visiting the site twice and assuring protection. Local MLA Sankar Sikdar has invited church representatives for dialogue, leading the congregation to temporarily withhold formal complaints.
Meanwhile, in Bolpur’s Uttar Narayanpur village, Pastor Mangal Bauri and his son were brutally assaulted by a mob of around 30 miscreants.
Only six were local villagers, while the rest were outsiders. Pastor Bauri, who had earlier emailed a complaint to the Santiniketan police after his house church was threatened, lamented that the authorities refused to register his police complaint.
“Had the police acted promptly, last night’s barbaric attack could have been prevented,” he told BCP leaders.
Advocate Samarjit Dey of the BCP Legal Cell called the police station to demand accountability, but the duty officer offered no explanation and insisted on a hard copy of the emailed FIR.
BCP Founding State Secretary Herod Mullick condemned both incidents, stating:
“A calculated narrative is being propagated to spread hatred against the Church, utilizing false conversion allegations.
“Yet we also witness a positive counter‑narrative, with conscientious citizens and ruling party workers defending Bengal’s heritage harmony. Bengal possesses an inherent immunity against the virus of fanaticism.”
The BCP State Committee has urged civil society to stand united against such atrocities and called upon the administration to act with diligence, noting that prompt police intervention in places like Kharagpur and Behala has prevented similar unrest.
(Photo courtesy https://www.edf-feph.org/)