Christian groups to march on November 5 in Kolkata to protest mob attacks

Several Christian groups will march in Kolkata on November 5 to protest against the rapid mob attacks on the church and prayer meetings. The development comes only a day after a group of men allegedly attacked a new church at Narayantala of South 24 Parganas’ Basanti area during the inauguration ceremony at the establishment on Sunday (November 1, 2026).The President of All India Christian Council, Archbishop Joseph D'Souza, Rev. Samaresh Naik, National Secretary of National Council of Baptist Churches; Archbishop of Kolkata, Bishop of Krishnanagar; representatives of state-level organisations and Church Bodies of 11 Eastern and Northeastern states, right from Arunachal Pradesh to Jharkhand will be present.In an official statement on Tuesday (November 3, 2026), Bangiya Christiya Pariseba (BCP) said that a State-Level Prayer Rally will be organised in Kolkata on November 5th, 2026. Thousands of people from different districts will participate in the rally. Three prayer processions will simultaneously start at 12.00 noon from Howrah, Sealdah and Birla Planetarium and converge at R.R. Avenue for universal prayers.According to the organisation, a total of 65 incidents of violence, harassment, and vandalism have been recorded since May. However, first information report has been lodged only in 15 cases. "In almost every case, a single baseless allegation is levelled against the victims: that the church or organisation is engaged in unlawful religious conversions. This false narrative is maliciously manufactured to justify ruthless attacks and establish a misleading public perception," BCP said in the statement. It also said that they have approached the Chief Minister, Suvendu Adhikari, through written letters to take cognisance of the matter and take necessary action against the culprits. A delegate of the BCP is also likely to meet the general secretary of the West Bengal unit of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Jishnu Basu over the rapid attacks on the Christian community. On Sunday (November 1, 2026), another attack was also reported in Malda's Harishchandrapur in which a mob belonging to some Hindu outfits vandalised a local prayer meeting. Published - November 04, 2026 05:21 am IST