Odisha pastor allegedly assaulted, paraded with shoe garland over conversion accusations
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A map of the Dhenkanal district in Odisha
Dhenkanal: Tensions have flared in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district following allegations that a Christian pastor was assaulted, garlanded with footwear, and paraded through a village by a mob accusing him of engaging in religious conversions.
The incident, which reportedly took place on January 4 in a village under the Parjang police station limits, only came to light recently after a First Information Report (FIR) was registered based on a complaint filed by the victim's wife, Vandana. The victim, identified as Bipin Bihari Naik, was allegedly attacked at his home around 11 am while he was praying.
According to the complainant, a mob of 15 to 20 individuals armed with bamboo sticks stormed their residence. The group allegedly beat Naik, forcibly smeared vermilion on him, and placed a garland of shoes around his neck before parading him through the village. The complaint further states that the mob forced him to bow before a local temple.
In a statement to Maktoob Media, Vandana alleged that members of the Bajrang Dal tied her husband to the temple and forced him to consume cow dung. However, Dhenkanal Superintendent of Police Abhinav Sonkar told The Times of India that no such allegation regarding the consumption of cow dung had been raised in the official complaint.
Vandana has vehemently denied that her husband was involved in religious conversions. She also levelled serious accusations against the local police, claiming they arrived two hours after the incident and initially tried to mislead her by claiming no one was present in the village. Although she attempted to file a complaint on the day of the attack, she alleged that police inaction forced her to approach the Superintendent of Police directly. The FIR was finally registered nine days later, on January 13.
The incident has sparked a political row in the state. The Congress party condemned the attack as a "blot on humanity" and a direct outcome of "hateful and divisive politics" attributed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) also criticized the violence, stating that such acts in a peaceful state like Odisha amount to grave human rights violations.
Responding to the criticism, Odisha BJP media in-charge Sujit Das accused the opposition of politicizing the issue and asserted that law enforcement agencies would take appropriate action according to the law.