A Catholic community in India’s West Bengal state is facing down intense intimidation, including demands that Claretian missionaries ministering to the faithful in Nazat village abandon their work and instruct their people to return to their ancestral religions.
The incidents follow a string of violent attacks on Christians and churches in the eastern Indian state over the past few months. Local Christian leaders say they believe the intimidation efforts are being coordinated.
Bishop Shyamal Bose of Baruipur in West Bengal told Crux Now the same group that threatened the Claretians also visited the parish church in Bamanpukur, a town roughly four hours northwest of Nazat by car.
“Following our advice,” Bose told Crux Now, “the priest did not meet them alone. Instead, he requested the presence of the members of the parish pastoral council.”
“Nearly 200 people gathered at the parish premises,” Bose said, “including persons from other Christian denominations.”
Bose told Crux Now local authorities responded “promptly” and warned the group not to disturb the peace.
“The officer-in-charge asked the priest whether he wished to lodge a formal complaint,” Bose also related, adding that the priest expressed only the desire to live peacefully with everyone and noted that no physical damage had been done.
The Claretians, meanwhile, have reported that a group of Hindu fundamentalists forcibly entered their mission premises in Nazat on July 31 and accused the missionaries of converting tribal people.
They accused the missionaries of using foreign money for their church construction and issued an ultimatum, giving the missionaries a week to quit their premises mission within seven days or else face forcible closure.
Three members of the same group visited the mission the following morning and repeated their threats.
Bose told Crux Now the August 3 incident in Bamanpukur arose from motivations similar to those that began on July 31 in Nazat.
