West Bengal Christians tighten safeguards amid attacks, conversion row

Amid growing intimidation and alleged attacks over accusations of forced conversion, Christian organisations in West Bengal are tightening safeguards, with a written application and affidavit set to become mandatory for those seeking to embrace Christianity.

The measures are part of a slew of protective steps adopted by Christian bodies to counter what they call an “ill-motivated narrative” against the community that has allegedly fuelled several attacks on prayer services and even the removal of a woman’s body from a grave after it had been lowered. The incidents have been reported since the BJP came to power in the state four months ago.

Foreign visitors face conversion heat

The conversion narrative has also put foreign visitors under scrutiny, after two Argentine nationals and a Spanish national visiting the Sundarbans were caught up in a confrontation with local residents who accused them of trying to convert Hindus.

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The group stormed the home of one Ratna Mondal in Hingalganj, North 24 Parganas, and allegedly disrupted a prayer meeting attended by the foreign nationals last Sunday (August 30). Mondal in her statement to the police said the foreign nationals were Jadavpur University students studying Bengali, had valid identification documents and frequently visited her home at her invitation.

Sushovan Das, a Hindu Jagaran Manch leader alleged that foreign nationals had been frequently visiting Mondal’s house to secretly carry out religious conversions. He threatened to mobilise a bigger protest if “forced conversions” are not stopped in the area.

Lawyer Surjit Gharami and his pregnant wife, Beethika, from Maulti in South 24 Parganas’ Magrahat, also faced a similar situation a week ago. Surjit said more than 100 people gathered outside their home and objected to a Christian prayer meeting being held there on August 23. The family is Hindu, but Surjit’s ailing mother had recently begun praying at home according to Christian practices, prompting objections from one or two local residents.

On Sunday afternoon, when prayers were held again, a large group allegedly arrived and confronted the family. Surjit and his wife were allegedly assaulted in the ensuing confrontation.

Churches, clergy under pressure

Such attacks are not limited to house-prayer services, as churches, pastors and even funerals have also come under attack.

In Sandeshkhali, North 24 Parganas, a group allegedly entered a church on July 30 and confronted Pastor Santosh Tudu, pressuring him to renounce Christianity and threatening to drive him out of the area if he refused.

In Memari, Purba Bardhaman, 20 to 25 people allegedly forced their way into the home of Pastor Joy Sutradhar on August 18, assaulted him and ordered his family to leave the area.

At Sahanagar in Purba Bardhaman, a funeral at St Claret Church was disrupted on August 14 after a group allegedly stopped the burial and took out a woman’s body after it had been lowered into the grave. The family later buried her at another cemetery in Bardhaman town.

In Nazat, South 24 Parganas, a group allegedly confronted the priest of St Claret Catholic Church and gave him seven days to leave the area, warning of unspecified consequences if he refused.

FIRs expose wider pattern

Police sources said FIRs have already been filed in at 12 such cases across the state, indicating that the incidents are not isolated.

“There are at least 25 cases that have been brought to our notice, though FIRs have been lodged in only 12. Several incidents go unreported due to fear,” said Herod Mullick, founding state secretary and spokesperson of the Bangiya Christiya Pariseba (Bengal Christian Council).

The West Bengal Minority Affairs Minister Kshudiram Tudu, however, said he was not aware of any such attack on Christian community. “No such incident has been brought to my notice, even by members of the Christian community. But if such incidents are taking place, I will certainly ask the appropriate authorities to investigate, because our government respects every individual’s right to practise their faith without interference,” Tudu told The Federal.

He, however, said protests against forced conversions were bound to happen, but stressed that any such complaints should be reported to the administration for legal action rather than being met with violence.

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“Incidents of forced conversion, if any, should be reported to the administration for appropriate legal action. Nobody should resort to violence or take the law into their own hands,” the minister added.

Bengal eyes anti-conversion law

He further said the state government would soon enact an anti-conversion law to prevent religious change through coercion or inducement and put an end to disputes over such practices.

The law would also bar those who convert to Christianity or other faiths from availing themselves of reservation benefits, he said.

BJP minority cell president Ali Hosain too said he was unaware of the reported attacks and asserted that his party would not condone such acts. He promised to take steps to prevent similar incidents if they were brought to his notice.

Party spokesperson Charles Nandi, however, acknowledged the reported incidents and said the BJP did not approve of them, as it believed people of all faiths should be allowed to practise their religion freely. He also urged Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to look into the incidents. Nandi is also a former president of the party’s minority cell.

New safeguards for Christian converts

Without blaming any particular organisation for the attacks, Mullick said they appeared to be centrally coordinated, as the incidents followed a similar pattern, with victims being accused of forced conversion.

“It is unfortunate that even people in positions of responsibility are pushing the same false narrative. Tell me, can anyone really be forced or lured into changing their faith? Only a change of heart can make someone a true believer, and that requires winning their hearts,” he said.

Rejecting the allegations of forced conversion, Mullick said the council recently came up with initiation guidelines to ensure there is no scope for any false charges.

Those wishing to formally adopt the faith will now be required to submit a written application stating that they are embracing Christianity voluntarily and without coercion or inducement.

The application will then be scrutinised by the church concerned and, if the church is satisfied with the applicant’s stated intention, the person will subsequently be asked to go to court and make an affidavit affirming the decision before being formally admitted into the Christian faith.

Christian groups counter narrative

The believers have also been asked to keep house prayer meetings in abeyance for the time being, amid concerns over the safety of worshippers, he said.

The organisations are also stepping up efforts to reach out to wider sections of society, with a series of peace and prayer rallies and inter-faith exchanges planned across the state to promote communal harmony and dispel misconceptions.

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The BCP has launched a statewide series of peace, harmony and prayer rallies, with 100 regional rallies planned across the state through October ahead of a central gathering in Kolkata on November 5. The first rallies were held across four adjoining areas of South 24 Parganas, with people from different communities and political backgrounds taking part.

The organisation has also begun a series of round-table meetings bringing together secular intellectuals, writers, journalists and other members of civil society for inter-faith exchanges.

The meetings are intended to build a wider platform against communalism, counter what the BCP describes as misleading narratives and press for greater protection of religious freedom and communal harmony.