By: Ashutosh Mishra Published in: *The Wire* Date: January 23, 2026 Source: https://thewire.in/communalism/odisha-pastor-assaulted-paraded-with-footwear-garland-over-forced-conversion-suspicion-nine-detained Although the incident took place on January 4, it has come to light only now after police detained nine persons in connection with the assault following a written complaint by the pastor’s wife to the Dhenkanal superintendent of police.
*Bhubaneswar:* In yet another glaring instance of growing religious intolerance in Odisha, a pastor was allegedly assaulted by a mob and paraded through the streets of a village with a garland of footwear around his neck. The assault and humiliation of the priest was the result of the mob’s suspicion that he forced people to convert, though the charge is yet to be substantiated. The incident took place on January 4 in Parjang village under Parjang police station area of Dhenkanal district, about 80 kilometres from the state capital, but it has come to light only now after police detained nine persons in connection with the assault following a written complaint by the pastor’s wife to Dhenkanal superintendent of police Abhinav Sonkar in which she accused the Parjang police of being letharg The pastor, Bipin Bihari Nayak, who hails from Bhalumunda village in Dhenkanal, had gone to Parjang on the invitation of one Krushna Naik to conduct a prayer meeting. His wife, Bandana, in her complaint alleged that around 11 am on January 4, while her husband was praying inside Krushna’s house, a group of around 20 young men arrived on motorcycles armed with bamboo sticks and forcibly entered the house. Bandana said the mob started assaulting her husband with bamboo sticks and fists. He was allegedly kicked repeatedly and his face was smeared with vermillion. Later, he was forcefully paraded on the streets of the village with a garland of footwear around his neck and was made to drink drain water and bow before the temple of a local deity against his wishes, she added. Bandana alleged that though she submitted a written complaint at the Parjang police station at 11.30 am that day the police took no immediate action which resulted in her husband being brutally assaulted by the mob. The police arrived at the spot only around 1.30 pm by which time the priest had borne the brunt of the mob attack. The attackers, she said, have falsely accused her husband of engaging in forcible conversions. The priest’s brother Udaynath James alleged that Bipin was made to drink cow dung in the vessel meant for the Lord’s supper. “This is ultimate humiliation for a practising Christian,” he said. The priest was rushed to a hospital in the nearby industrial town of Angul from where he returned the same day after receiving treatment. “He is still suffering from pain in his limbs and there is watery discharge from one of his ears,” said Udaynath. Dhenkanal SP Sonkar said police have already detained nine persons in connection with the incident but more detentions were possible. “Allegations made in the complaint are being investigated and action will be taken in line with the law,” said Sonkar adding that the medical report of the priest had been received and his injuries were not grievous in nature. Expressing shock at the humiliation of a priest, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA Manohar Randhari said such behaviour against anyone was unacceptable in a democratic and secular country like India. “This should never have happened. No one has the right to take law into their hands,” said Randhari, hoping that the culprits would be brought to book. Congress spokesperson Amiya Pandab described the incident as the outcome of rising intolerance and growing influence of right wing groups in the state. “No words are enough to condemn what happened in Parjang. There has been an alarming deterioration in the law and order situation in the state. We appear to be moving towards anarchy,” said Pandab. Christian community leader Pallab Kumar Lima condemned the assault on the priest and described it as an example of lawlessness which should not be tolerated. “Any such incident has to be condemned. No one has the right to take law into their hands. The charge of conversions against the priest seems motivated but even if we accept it for the sake of argument it does not justify an assault on him. They could have filed a case against him. There is a law to take care of such cases,” said Lima. The Parjang incident is the latest in a series of attacks on the minority community in the last one and a half years in Odisha which had the reputation of being a peaceful state. But the situation seems to be fast deteriorating with members of the minority community, especially Christians coming frequently under attack. In December 2024, two tribal women were tied up to a tree and beaten up in Balasore district <https://thewire.in/communalism/odisha-tribal-women-tied-to-tree-beaten-up-over-religious-conversion-suspicion> for allegedly trying to convert a Hindu man to Christianity. The mob that teased and humiliated the women was led by a man who raised slogans of “Jai Sri Ram”. Police acted against the culprits only after a video of the incident became viral. More recently, self-styled Hindutva votaries threatened street hawkers selling Santa hats and Christmas gift items <https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/christians-dont-have-a-say-here-vendors-harassed-in-puri-for-selling-christmas-items-prnt/cid/2139341> in Puri. Poor people selling these seasonal items for a living were asked to leave the town immediately as their wares were seen as violative of the spirit of Jagannath culture for which the temple town is famous. There have also been several instances of attacks on Muslims, the latest being the death of young Sheikh Makandar Mohammad <https://www.altnews.in/balasore-horror-cow-vigilantes-who-lynched-makandar-mohammad-were-known-to-him/> on the outskirts of Balasore town on January 14. Driving a van loaded with cattle, Mohammad was chased by a group of alleged cow vigilantes, who apparently thought he was a cattle smuggler. The van overturned, and he sustained grievous injuries which were aggravated following a severe beating by the mob.Mohammad, who was allegedly made to raise slogans of “Jai Sri Ram” and “Gau Mata Ki Jai” by the mob, succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. There has been a sudden spike in the activities of cow vigilantes in the state with several cases of beating of innocent people carrying cows being reported from different parts of Odisha. “There is an urgent need to rein in such elements,” said Congress leader and activist Manas Choudhury, who has been watching such developments in the state with growing anxiety.
