At least 60 incidents targeting Christians were recorded across West Bengal over a four-month period this year following the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) rise to power in the state, according to a new report by India Hate Lab (IHL).
IHL, a project of the Center for the Study of Organized Hate, published the findings through its Early Warning, Early Response initiative.
The monitoring group said the incidents took place across 13 districts between May 13 and September 20 and consist of raids on prayer meetings and churches, intimidation of worshippers, physical assaults and vandalism.
Of the dozens of cases documented, 52 involved raids on churches, private homes, prayer meetings or other Christian gatherings, while eight consisted of physical violence, mob attacks or damage to property, IHL said.
It also recorded five public events involving alleged anti-Christian hate speech and three demonstrations centred on accusations of religious conversion.
IHL said many of the incidents were linked to Hindu nationalist organisations.
The findings come after the BJP took control of West Bengal for the first time earlier this year, with Suvendu Adhikari becoming chief minister in May.
South 24 Parganas and Paschim Medinipur recorded the highest number of raids, with 13 reported in each district.
According to the report, a recurring pattern involved activists disrupting Christian gatherings in homes, churches and hired venues, where attendees were questioned about their faith and alleged involvement in religious conversions.
In many cases, worshippers were allegedly asked to produce Aadhaar identity cards.
One such incident was recorded in Sandeshkhali on July 8, where India Hate Lab said VHP and BJP members reportedly went into a largely Christian neighbourhood and challenged residents about their conversion from Hinduism.
In Hingalganj on August 30, members of the nationalist group Hindu Jagaran Manch allegedly disrupted a prayer gathering and demanded to know why an Argentinian Christian missionary was reading the Bible rather than the Bhagavad Gita.
Christian women were also singled out in a number of incidents, according to IHL, with some being challenged over their use of traditional Bengali marital symbols and told to take them off.
In Baruipur on July 18, a group of Christian women carrying Bibles were reportedly followed and verbally abused, while in Barrackpore on September 19, several Christian women were “physically assaulted and publicly humiliated” by Hindu nationalists over allegations that they were helping people convert to Christianity.
Several incidents escalated into violence or vandalism.
IHL said a church in South 24 Parganas was vandalised on June 10 by Hindu Jagaran Manch members, while a church under construction in Subhashgram was attacked the following month with several crosses at the site damaged.
In another incident in Howrah on August 25, two people accused of involvement in religious conversion were allegedly detained by a mob and paraded through the area while chants of “Jai Shri Ram” (“Victory to Lord Ram”) were heard.
IHL said the man was reportedly forced to remove his clothes, while the woman was physically mistreated before both were later taken into police custody.
The organisation also raised concerns about the role of police in a number of cases.
It said officers were around during several raids and that Christian worshippers were sometimes detained after complaints were made by Hindu nationalist groups.
On June 21, in Raniganj, between 20 and 25 people attending a Sunday prayer meeting were handed over to police following accusations of religious conversion, according to the report.
Similar incidents involving police were documented in Midnapore, Purulia, Hijla, Kulpi and Bhatpara.
IHL noted that videos of many of the incidents were subsequently uploaded to Facebook and Instagram by those involved, with some confrontations reportedly livestreamed.
The organisation argued: “Social media platforms have repeatedly failed to adequately enforce their own rules against hate, incitement, and extremist activity in India, despite longstanding evidence that their services are used by extremist actors to organize, document, glorify, and amplify harassment and violence against religious minorities.
“The continued presence of accounts and content openly documenting such activities raises serious questions about the effectiveness of platform enforcement and the extent to which these groups can operate online with limited consequences.”
IHL said the frequency of incidents increased between May and September, with five raids recorded within a 48-hour period on September 19 and 20.
“None of the individuals or organizations identified by IHL as participating in these incidents had posted about similar raids or other vigilante attacks targeting Christians before May 2026,” the organisation said.
It also pointed to comments allegedly made during some of the incidents referring directly to the BJP’s assumption of power.
A Christian gathering in Panskura was reportedly disrupted on September 3 by VHP and Bajrang Dal members, who warned that conversion activities would not be permitted in what they called “New Bengal.”
The report concluded: “The frequency and concentration of these incidents, the repeated invocation by perpetrators of the change in state government, the recurrence of the same organizations and tactics across districts, and documented instances of police presence and support point to an increasingly organized campaign operating in an environment of apparent institutional impunity.”
