Overview

• Odisha police have taken statements from all involved and released those detained before naming an Additional SP to lead the inquiry.
• About 70 Bajrang Dal activists stopped two priests, two nuns, and a catechist in Gangadhar village on August 6, deflating tyres, tearing their clothes, and seizing a phone.
• Local police insist the clergy were unharmed and no formal complaint was filed, a claim disputed by victims and church officials reporting injuries and property seizure.
• The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India and Archbishop Mar Andrews Thazhath branded the incident a constitutional violation and urged state and central governments to take decisive action.
• Opposition MPs are seeking a parliamentary debate on the incident and broader threats to Christian minorities under anti-conversion statutes in BJP-ruled states.