Christian World | Hundreds of Christians rallied in Kolkata on Thursday over 48 incidents of violence and harassment against Christians in India's West Bengal in five months

ACW | November 5, 2026 — Hundreds of Christians held a prayer rally in Kolkata on Thursday to protest attacks on churches and prayer meetings in India's West Bengal state, the Millennium Post reported.

The rally on Rani Rashmoni Avenue in the Esplanade area was organized by the Bangiya Christiya Pariseba (BCP), according to the Millennium Post. Clergy and church leaders from Odisha, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland also attended.

Herod Mullick, the BCP's founding state secretary, said the group had documented 48 incidents of violence and harassment against Christians over five months. Police registered complaints in only 16 cases, he said, and victims were prevented from filing them in 32.

Mullick denied allegations of forced conversions, saying peaceful prayer gatherings were being portrayed as illegal conversion events. He also voiced concern about growing insecurity ahead of Christmas.

Archbishop Joseph D'Souza called for unity, saying attacks on Christians were not new and that the community's struggle would go on, the paper reported. The Observer Post said attacks had been reported in East Bardhaman, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Nadia and West Midnapore districts.

A five-member BCP delegation met Jishnu Basu of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Bengal on Wednesday. Basu promised to raise their concerns with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, the Millennium Post reported.

Basu told The Hindu there were genuine concerns about forced conversions and called for investigations into both the attacks and alleged unlawful conversions, the Observer Post reported. No response from the West Bengal government appeared in published reports.

Background: India Hate Lab documented at least 60 incidents in 13 West Bengal districts between May 13 and September 20, 2026, Christian groups said, according to the Observer Post. ACW earlier reported on pressure on Christian families in India's Chhattisgarh state.

Why it matters: Of the 48 incidents the BCP documented in five months, only 16 led to a police complaint, according to its secretary; the group says it represents more than 1.3 million Catholic and non-Catholic Christians in West Bengal.

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Sources: Millennium Post — Hundreds of Christians march against attacks on churches; The Observer Post — Christian Groups Hold Kolkata Prayer Rally After Alleged Attacks on Churches

Photo: Millennium Post

Correction, November 6, 2026: An earlier version of this story placed Jishnu Basu's remarks on forced conversions in quotation marks. The Observer Post paraphrased them, and they are now reported as a paraphrase.