Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
AICU
Calcutta (Fides News Agency) – “We express our solidarity with the faithful of the Diocese of Krishnanagar, the Archdiocese of Calcutta and all Christian communities in West Bengal. We stand with the Santhal Christian community, whose right to worship in their own language is a constitutional right that must be protected.”
This is the statement issued to Fides News Agency by the “All India Catholic Union” (AICU), an organization representing Catholic laypeople in India, expressing dismay over a mob attack on St. Louis Parish Church in Jalalkhali, on the outskirts of Krishnanagar, in the State of West Bengal, on 9 October 2026.
The attack brought a four-day bible conference organized by the local Santhal community of the Diocese of Krishnanagar to an abrupt halt. More than 1,900 faithful from various parts of the State were attending the event.
According to eyewitness accounts, a group of about 200 people gathered near the church, chanting slogans before some entered the premises carrying bamboo poles and bricks, vandalizing decorations and banners, throwing stones at the prayer hall and assaulting those present. The glass protecting a statue of Jesus Christ was broken and at least six people were injured. Local Catholics who came out to protest were also attacked.
Bishop Nirmol Vincent Gomes of Krishnanagar described the assault as “premeditated” and “the worst violence his diocese has known”.
The diocese filed a complaint with police, invoking Article 25 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practise and propagate one’s religion. The diocese stressed that all those attending the event were already baptized Christians and that any allegations of “proselytism” or attempts to convert people were therefore unfounded.
In response to the serious incident, the AICU has called on the government to launch an investigation and disclose the status of all First Information Reports (FIR) filed in connection with violence against Christian communities.
The organization has also recommended consulting parish priests, dioceses and churches, and introducing preventive measures wherever credible threats have been identified. It has further urged the National Human Rights Commission, the National Commission for Minorities and the West Bengal Human Rights Commission to launch an independent investigation to ensure that religious freedom is protected in every state of the Union.
According to the AICU, the incident in Jalalkhali forms part of a climate of hostility that has intensified, according to the organization, since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took office in West Bengal in May 2026.
“We must ask whether the police and the state administration are able or willing to protect the constitutional rights of Christians and other communities,” said Alexander Anthony, the AICU’s national vice-president, announcing that the organization plans to hold a public demonstration in the State.
Anthony warned that West Bengal could join Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh on the list of states “characterized by frequent incidents of anti-Christian violence”. He called for “a public statement by the State’s Chief Minister, making it clear that such violence will not be tolerated”.
“We are particularly concerned,” he added, “that those responsible for the violence referred to the recent change of government in the state. In Barasat, on 12 July (see Fides, 14/7/2026), members of radical Hindu groups threatened Salesian Sisters, saying that their activities would no longer be permitted now that the Bharatiya Janata Party was in power in West Bengal.”
The AICU representative concluded: “We recall that Articles 14, 21 and 25 of the Constitution protect the right of every religious community in India to profess and practise its faith.”
(PA) (Fides News Agency, 14/10/2026)
