‘Is it a sin to practice one’s faith?’: After assault, Odisha pastor now asked to vacate rented home

On January 4, pastor Bipin Bihari Naik was assaulted by a mob of 15–20 youths at Kandarsinga village under Parjang police station in Dhenkanal district. An FIR — based on a complaint by Naik’s wife — said the pastor had been invited by a village resident to offer prayers for his health when a mob forced its way in and assaulted him.

The attack is the latest in a series of communal incidents in the state. Over the last 19 months, at least six Odisha towns have witnessed curfews and Internet suspensions following communal incidents. In most cases, the accused have been linked to right-wing outfits.

Since the incident, Naik has been living in fear in his native village of Khamar in neighbouring Angul district.

“The owner of the house, where my brother was staying for eight years without a single complaint, asked us to vacate the place within the week, and we did,” James says.

According to the FIR, a mob of 15–20 people “came on motorcycles armed with bamboo sticks and forcibly entered the house and brutally assaulted her husband using bamboo sticks, fist blows and kicks blows without any provocation or lawful authority”.

The family claims it was forced to approach the Superintendent of Police after the local police allegedly failed to act. The FIR was registered only after the intervention of the Dhenkanal SP.

According to the complaint, Naik’s wife approached the Parjang Police Station within 30 minutes of the incident on January 4.

“Despite the seriousness of the offence, the police refused to register the FIR and took no immediate action. The police reached the spot only at about 1:30 PM, by which time my husband had already suffered severe physical and mental torture,” the complaint said.

Naik’s family blamed “the rise of a certain ecosystem backed by people in power” for such attacks. “Has any god asked them to assault people from other faiths?” James asked.

James also rejected allegations that Naik was “forcibly converting people”, calling them “baseless and fabricated allegations levelled against us to dilute the case”.

“He has been going to that house for two years to offer prayers,” he said.

When contacted, Dhenkanal SP Abhinav Sonkar told The Indian Express that an explanation had been sought from the inspector-in-charge of Parjang Police Station.

“Steps will be taken accordingly,” he said, adding that nine people have been detained.

Meanwhile, the incident triggered nationwide outrage, with chief ministers of at least two states condemning it.

“The brutal assault on a pastor in Odisha is not an isolated crime; it reflects the atmosphere of violence and hatred being systematically fostered by the Sangh Parivar. Forcing a human being to eat cow dung is a deeply inhuman act, emboldened by the silence and complicity of BJP-led governments,” Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote on X.

Recalling the Graham Staines case from 27 years ago, Vijayan said the same forces of intolerance continue to operate with impunity.

“Not just in Odisha, across India, the secular fabric of our nation is under sustained attack. This coordinated attempt to undermine constitutional democracy and impose the Sangh Parivar’s communal politics must be firmly resisted,” he added.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said the assault was a grave violation of constitutional rights.

“The repeated attacks on Christians taint the diverse culture and religious fabric of our nation. Strongly condemn this incident and urge the concerned authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and take swift, decisive action against those responsible,” he wrote on X.

Expressing concern, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, seeking urgent intervention and immediate arrest and prosecution of all those involved.