India: Catholic church in Odisha looted and priests attacked

As reported in the Indian Express newspaper on 15 June 2024, an unidentified group physically assaulted two priests (aged 72 and 52) and stole the equivalent of around 12,000 USD from a Catholic church in the Sundergarh district of Odisha state. The incident took place in the night of 14 June in a small town called Jharbahal, 25 km from the industrial city of Rourkela, the third largest urban agglomeration in Odisha. The majority of the stolen money had been collected from students of two Catholic schools and a church-run hostel. The criminals also took away paperwork needed for auditing purposes. The two priests were later admitted to hospital with the police denying that this incident was religiously motivated.

Ryan Benjamin working for World Watch Research (WWR) comments: “While this incident may not have a direct religious angle, the political shifts in Odisha are relevant. Although there were attacks on Christians under the previous government, this particular incident took place barely 48 hours after the first ever BJP chief minister, Mohan Charan Majhi, was sworn in, ending 24 years of rule in Odisha by the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). Following the BJP coming to power in Odisha, and its government headed by a hardline Hindutva chief minister, there is every likelihood that attacks like this will increase in number; perpetrators with varying intentions and motivations are now likely to feel that they can attack institutions and places of worship belonging to religious minorities openly and with impunity. For more background see the new WWR report ‘India - Spotlight on Kerala, Odisha and Chhattisgarh’ (July 2024).”