AITC team alleges attacks on Christians, denial of burial rights in BJP-ruled Bengal

A three-member fact-finding team of the opposition All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) on Sunday alleged that Christians in several parts of West Bengal had faced attacks, intimidation, denial of burial rights and disruption of religious gatherings since the BJP came to power in the state in May. The team, headed by AITC Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose, visited Christian establishments, churches and educational institutions in Kolkata, North 24 Parganas and Paschim Medinipur districts on the instructions of party supremo Mamata Banerjee.

Ghose shared photographs of the visits on X and said the exercise was intended to hear the grievances of alleged victims and offer assistance to Christian communities that were becoming increasingly fearful and anxious. The panel also included lawyer Sirsanya Bandopadhyay, son of AITC Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Bandyopadhyay, and Maria Fernandes.

Allegations of intimidation

Ghose alleged that the team had encountered accounts of Christians being threatened with violence unless they converted to Hinduism, denied burial rights and prevented from exercising civic rights, including developing their properties and accessing irrigation facilities. She also claimed that Christian prayer meetings were being disrupted by loud music played outside places of worship and that churches had been vandalised by mobs.

According to the MP, the Archbishop of Kolkata expressed serious concern over what he described as increasing attacks on Christians and the erosion of democratic and humanitarian values. At Auxilium Convent in Simultala, Barasat, in North 24 Parganas district, Ghose said nuns told the delegation that an aggressive mob had threatened them over construction being undertaken legally on their own land.

The nuns also informed the team about an alleged attack on a Christian congregation and vandalism of a church at Jalalkhali in Krishnagar. Ghose said nuns and worshippers should not have to live in fear while exercising their religious rights.

Burial rights denied

During a visit to Christ the King Church at Balichak in Paschim Medinipur district, the team was told about an alleged incident in Moninathpur village where the body of a Christian person was forcibly exhumed and cremated.

Ghose claimed that members of the community were also being denied access to graveyards and water supplies. She described the reported incidents as evidence of worsening religious tensions in the state and alleged that even the dead were not being allowed to rest in peace. "This is Bengal, the land of pluralism, and we will NOT let it be poisoned by religious hatred," she wrote on X.

Referring to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata in May, Ghose said the international community should also take note of the allegations emerging from the state.

Priests allegedly threatened

The delegation also visited Divine Mercy Church at Bamanpukur in North 24 Parganas district, where Ghose alleged that a self-described Vishva Hindu Parishad activist, Swami Shivananda, had threatened the parish priest and pastors.

According to her, the activist allegedly issued an ultimatum demanding that members of the Christian congregation return to Hinduism or face consequences. Ghose described the alleged conduct as an attempt to intimidate the community through coercion and threats.

She said Father Pradeep Dari, a priest associated with the church, told the delegation that Hindus and Christians had historically lived peacefully in the area but that Christian residents were now fearful. The allegations against the activist have not been independently established.

Claims of systematic targeting

Ghose also shared a social media post by Sirsanya Bandopadhyay, who alleged that attacks on religious minorities had increased following the change of government on May 4. Bandopadhyay, who unsuccessfully contested the Srirampore Assembly constituency in the 2026 elections, claimed that Christians were facing systematic intimidation alongside incidents affecting Hindu and Muslim communities.

He alleged that members of Hindu organisations operating under various parishads and manchs were preventing Christians from freely professing and practising their religion. According to Bandopadhyay, the recurring grievance expressed by people the team met was that they were being obstructed from exercising their religious freedoms. The AITC has maintained that the fact-finding exercise was undertaken to document these grievances and provide support to affected communities.

No official response

Ghose did not clarify whether police complaints had been registered in connection with the alleged attacks, vandalism, threats or denial of burial rights. There was no immediate response from the BJP-led West Bengal government or the state police to the allegations made by the fact-finding team.

The claims remain unverified independently, and the party has not yet made public a comprehensive report detailing the incidents or supporting evidence. The allegations have nevertheless brought renewed attention to concerns over religious freedom, minority protection and the responsibility of the authorities to ensure that citizens can practise their faith without intimidation or discrimination.