Attacks against Christians increased, Hindutva groups cite BJP power in Bengal: Report
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As many as 60 incidents of raids on private prayer meetings, homes, churches and other Christian gatherings, as well as incidents involving physical assault, mob violence or vandalism, have been recorded across 13 districts of West Bengal between May 13 and September 20, 2026, involving Hindutva groups, with the incidents increasing after the BJP formed the government in the state, according to India Hate Lab (IHL).
The report said 52 of the incidents involved raids, while eight involved physical attacks, mob violence or damage to Christian property; it also documented five public hate-speech events targeting Christians, sometimes alongside Muslims, and three protests centred exclusively on allegations of religious conversion.
South 24 Parganas and Paschim Medinipur recorded the highest number of raids on Christian prayer meetings, with 13 incidents each, while IHL identified organisations including Hindu Jagaran Manch, Bangiya Hindu Jagaran, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, Hindu Suraksha Samiti, Hindu Ekta Manch and Hindu Sanghati among those most frequently involved.
According to IHL, members of these organisations repeatedly entered places where Christians had gathered to pray, questioned attendees about their faith and accused organisers of conducting religious conversions; in several cases, they also demanded to inspect Aadhaar cards.
The report said the incidents became more frequent after the BJP formed the state government, and cited several instances in which those involved referred directly to the change in political power
Several incidents of assaults saw the attackers attributing such incidents to the change in power in the state, as members of the VHP and Bajrang Dal reportedly warned that conversion activities would not be permitted in “New Bengal” in Panskura on September 3, while in Barasat, Hindu Jagaran Manch members allegedly told Auxilium Salesian Sisters that their activities would no longer be tolerated now that the BJP was in power, the report said.
IHL also highlighted incidents involving Christian women, who were reportedly questioned over their use of sakha-pola and sindoor, traditional Bengali marital symbols. In Baruipur, a group allegedly heckled Christian women carrying Bibles and wearing the symbols, while in Ramnagar, women were reportedly told to remove their sakha-pola.
Several confrontations allegedly escalated into violence. IHL said a church in South 24 Parganas was vandalised on June 10, while a church under construction in Subhashgram was attacked on July 5 and crosses were broken.
The report further alleged that police were frequently present during raids and, in several cases, Christian attendees were subsequently detained following accusations of conversion. It also said videos of raids and confrontations were repeatedly uploaded or livestreamed on social-media platforms.
IHL described the pattern as an increasingly organised campaign operating amid what it characterised as “apparent institutional impunity”, while the report’s findings and allegations remain those of the organisation and would require independent verification.