Overview
- A five-member delegation from Bangiya Christiya Pariseba (BCP) met West Bengal RSS state leader Jishnu Basu on November 4 to seek intervention and press for investigations into recent attacks.
- Hundreds of Christians held a prayer rally in Kolkata on Thursday that began as three processions and drew clergy and worshippers from neighbouring states to protest vandalism, assaults and harassment of congregations.
- BCP says it documented 48 incidents over about five months and alleges victims were prevented from lodging FIRs in 32 cases while only 16 complaints were registered with police.
- A U.S.-based project, India Hate Lab, is cited by church groups as recording roughly 60 incidents across 13 districts from May to September, and the RSS leader told reporters he will continue dialogue and asked for investigations into conversion claims and attacks.
- Church leaders say false allegations of forced conversions are being used to justify actions against prayer meetings and house churches and they plan follow-up talks with authorities and a wider meeting of church leaders by the end of November.