Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Opposition leaders including Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal in Parliament have slammed the BJP government condemning the assault on Christian priests over allegations of religious conversion in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur district.
On Sunday, members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal thrashed the two priests in the presence of the police officials after intercepting a bus carrying people from the tribal community.
A video of the assault has gone viral on social media, showing the mob pouncing on the priest and raining punches down on him. The mob beat and slapped the priests while the police attempted to escort the victims.
According to a senior officer, the Hindutva groups “stopped the bus at Bhanwartal Park and escorted it to the Ranjhi police station, where the situation escalated into a confrontation involving members of the Christian community and police intervention”.
Some members of the Hindutva groups beat up the members of the Christian community including Father Davis George who reached the police station after the passengers were detained.
Condemning the incident, Vijayan said that the priests, originally from Kerala, had visited the police station to help the Adivasis but were beaten up as police watched.
“Strongly condemn the brutal attack on Christians in Jabalpur, MP. It is outrageous that Malayali priests were assaulted in the presence of the police while helping tribals, including women and children, who were falsely accused and detained,” said Vijayan.
He further said “The growing communal violence is a dangerous assault on India’s secular fabric, threatening the nation’s core values.The Union Government’s inaction and complicity embolden the attackers and tarnish the country’s image globally. Immediate action must be taken against those responsible. Kerala stands firmly with the victims”.
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal told reporters that the incident was “another example” of how the “BJP government and Sangh Parivar are attacking minorities”. He alleged that 753 churches were attacked in the past year, and accused the government of failing to act.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India also condemned an attack on Christian pilgrims.
“It is deeply distressing that the Christian community, which has played a significant role in freedom struggle and nation-building, and has always upheld constitutional values, is repeatedly targeted, harassed, and denied its fundamental right to worship by extremist and anti-national elements,” the conference said in a statement.
The statement said some Catholic priests and lay people from Mandla parish of the Jabalpur diocese were undertaking a religious pilgrimage as part of Jubilee 2025 when they were forcibly stopped, and assaulted by extremist groups.
Aarti Shukla, the Vishva Hindu Parishad’s district coordinator, alleged that the Adivasis were being forcibly converted to Christianity, claiming: “You can see their dressing and lifestyle; it’s all Hindu style.”
“I can claim that they are Hindus and have been lured here with force and threats to convert them,” Shukla told The Hindu.
