Paschim Medinipur police guard Christian families after forced conversion complaint
India
Police in West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district are now protecting several Christian families after reports that they were threatened with forced conversion.
A woman filed a complaint on October 20, naming 13 people allegedly linked to Bajrang Dal, who reportedly issued rape and death threats.
Families pressured into Hindu rituals
According to the complaint, the trouble began on October 18 when the families were pressured to renounce Christianity, enduring forced "purification" rituals and being made to join Hindu ceremonies.
Even a 16-year-old girl was threatened.
Herod Mullick, founder of the Bangiya Christiya Pariseba (BCP), an interfaith forum representing Christians in West Bengal, said there have been 45 similar incidents lately, but only a dozen FIRs so far.