Congress general secretary (organisation) and Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman K.C. Venugopal . File
| Photo Credit: ANI
Congress general secretary (organisation) and Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman K.C. Venugopal has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari demanding firm action against organisations and individuals who allegedly attacked three Christian families in Paschim Medinipur in West Bengal.
In his letter, Mr. Venugopal said the incident in Patlapur village, Paschim Medinipur, where three Christian families were allegedly assaulted, humiliated and coerced to renounce their faith, was deeply disturbing. He said the families were attacked over three consecutive days, from October 18 to 20, during the Durga Puja festivities.
Rape threat
Citing the First Information Report (FIR), he said a group of persons reportedly associated with the Bajrang Dal, entered the homes of these families and demanded that they give up their faith. “When the families refused, they were beaten. One woman was allegedly struck on the head so severely that she lost consciousness. Women were reportedly stripped of their clothing in an attempt to disrobe them, and a 15-year-old girl was allegedly strangled and threatened with abduction and rape,” he said.
Mr. Venugopal added that, according to the victims, a complaint made to the police on the very first day did not lead to effective action. “The FIR naming 13 persons was registered only on October 20, after an advocate intervened on their behalf,” he said, adding that India’s strength has always rested on the freedom of every citizen to profess, practise and propagate the faith of their choice, as guaranteed under Article 25 of the Constitution.
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Assault on Constitution
“Forcing any person, under threat of violence, to perform the rituals of another faith is an assault not only on the victims but on the Constitution itself. Any attempt to tear apart the social and religious fabric of our country must not be tolerated, whoever the perpetrators may be,” he said and urged Mr. Shah and Mr. Adhikari to immediately arrest all accused, invoking the strongest applicable provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
“Take firm action against organisations and individuals who incite hatred or coerce people in matters of faith and destroy the peace in the country,” he urged.
Barely a few months after the BJP comes to power in West Bengal, we see a fresh wave of violence to drive the BJP-RSS’ divisive and destructive agenda in the state.
The extent of humiliation and torture faced by the victims in Pashchim Medinipur, especially the woman who was disrobed and subjected to a “purification ritual”, is heart-wrenching and those responsible must be given the strictest of punishments.
Over the last few years, the BJP-RSS has launched a violent, vicious mission to intimidate and torture Christians across the country.
Be it the shocking arrest of nuns in Chhattisgarh or the desecration of churches in different BJP-ruled states, we are seeing a massive rise in targeted violence against Christians.
Our Constitution guarantees freedom of religion under Article 25, and our Preamble also stresses on fraternity – but the BJP’s attempts have always been to create an atmosphere antithetical to these tenets of our Constitution.
It is a clear pattern where Sanghi goons are given the license to attack minorities and the police is a silent bystander.
This is an orchestrated attack at a pan-India level and is happening with Modi-Shah’s blessings.
Their perfunctory attempts to woo Christians fall flat when their true intentions are revealed.
I wrote to the Union Home Minister and West Bengal CM demanding urgent action against the perpetrators of this heinous crime.
— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) October 24, 2026
Published – October 24, 2026 06:07 pm IST
