A Christian couple in Howrah’s Amta have alleged that men entered their home during a private prayer meeting, demanded that they renounce Christianity and threatened to drive them from their ancestral property.
Putul Manna and her husband, Kanchan, residents of Ghoraberia Dakshin Bhatora village, said the incident occurred on September 16 while they were holding a prayer meeting at their home. According to Putul, the men told the couple to abandon Christianity and convert to Hinduism, warning that they would otherwise be forcibly evicted from their property.
The family alleges that the confrontation continued the following night. Putul said an armed group returned, surrounded the house and abused the couple in front of their two sons, including their 10-year-old child.
“We initially thought of leaving our house,” Putul told The Times of India, according to the report, but questioned why her family should be forced out of its ancestral home. She said she subsequently lodged a police complaint.
The allegations could not be independently confirmed from the reports. The names of the men accused by the family have not been made public, and it is not clear whether the complaint has been registered as an FIR. There has also been no detailed police account of what happened or any reported arrest so far.
Bangiya Christiya Pariseba has taken up the matter and asked authorities to protect the family. The group said similar complaints have been reported at Christian prayer gatherings elsewhere in West Bengal.
The organisation separately submitted a memorandum to the state government on September 17, claiming that it had documented 26 alleged cases involving Christians, churches and community institutions over the previous three months. It said 11 of those cases resulted in FIRs, while alleging that victims in several other cases were discouraged or prevented from filing complaints.
The organisation has called for prompt registration of complaints, impartial investigations and protection for vulnerable churches and prayer halls across the state.
