Police have detained nine persons in connection with the alleged mob attack on a pastor at Kandarsinga village under Parjanga block in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district earlier this month.
The incident, which took place on January 4, came to public notice after the detentions this week. The pastor was allegedly assaulted by a group that accused him of attempting religious conversion, a charge that is yet to be established.
The pastor, identified in the FIR as Bipin Bihari Naik, was attacked when he went to a local resident’s house on invitation, police said. The complaint was filed on January 13 by his wife, Bandana Naik. Police detained the latest five suspects on Wednesday, after detaining four earlier.
Superintendent of police, Dhenkanal, Abhinav Sonkar told The Telegraph: “An FIR was registered on January 13. Earlier we detained four people and have now detained another five. The investigation is on. More people are likely to be interrogated in this connection.”
Christian community leaders have claimed that the pastor was forced to eat cow dung during the assault, but the copy of the FIR accessed by this newspaper does not mention that allegation.
According to the FIR, the pastor had been invited by Krishna Naik, a local resident, to offer prayers for his health and well-being. The
complaint alleges that while Bipin was inside the house at around 11am, a group of 15 to 20 persons, allegedly Bajrang Dal members, arrived on motorcycles, armed with bamboo sticks and forcibly entered the premises.
The FIR alleges that the pastor was beaten with bamboo sticks, fists and kicks “without any
provocation or lawful authority”. It also names one Nigamananda Dal Behera, described as a reporter of a local vernacular newspaper, among those present.
The complaint further alleges that around 11.30am the pastor was assaulted, forcibly smeared with sindoor, garlanded with footwear, paraded on the streets, beaten publicly, forced to drink drain water and compelled to bow before a temple against his will.
Bandana Naik wrote in the FIR that the accused and the village president alleged that her husband was attempting to convert people, which she termed “entirely baseless and fabricated”. She said her husband suffered “severe physical and mental torture”.
Police have registered a case under provisions related to unlawful assembly, rioting and causing hurt under sections 191(2), 191(3), 126(2), 115(2), 351(2) and 190 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), officials said.
The Rashtriya Christian Morcha (RCM) condemned the incident. “This is not just a crime against an individual; it is a direct assault on the constitutional right to worship and the basic human dignity of a citizen,” said RCM general secretary Pallab Lima.
Political parties also reacted sharply. “The peace of the state has already been vitiated. No one is feeling secure at any moment. The state’s image has been dented,” BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said.
Congress leader Amiya Pandav alleged that assaults on minorities had increased after the BJP formed its first government in Odisha in 2024. He said Muslims and Christians were being turned into “soft targets” by self-styled Hindutva groups and accused the government of failing to protect minorities.
Several incidents have been cited by Opposition leaders in recent months, including an alleged assault on two tribal women in December 2024 on suspicion of conversion and a case in June 2025 in which a nun was allegedly forced off a train at Jatani, about 20km from Bhubaneswar. Other cases cited include assaults on Muslim youths and alleged harassment of street vendors in Puri over the sale of Santa hats.
