The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) has called the mob attack on two Catholic priests and a catechist in Jaleswar, Odisha a “blatant violation of constitutional rights and human dignity”.

The conference described the assault as part of a disturbing pattern of violence targeting Christian minorities in the country.

On August 6, Fr. Lijo, Parish Priest of St. Thomas’ Church, Jaleswar, was returning to the parish with another priest, two nuns, and a catechist after celebrating a requiem Mass in a nearby village when they were attacked by a mob.

Local women intervened to rescue the nuns, but a group stopped, abused, and manhandled the priests and catechists, accusing them of religious conversion.

Fr. Lijo’s mobile phone was allegedly seized and never returned. The catechist, identified as Mr. Durjyodhan, was reportedly beaten and his motorcycle damaged. The mob, estimated at about 70 people, reportedly included many outsiders, according to CBCI.

The CBCI urged the Odisha government to identify and prosecute those responsible, and to ensure the safety of minority communities.

“The rising trend of mob violence poses a serious threat to peaceful coexistence,” CBCI said.

The Odisha government has not yet issued an official statement on the attack.

Thrissur Archbishop and CBCI president Mar Andrews Thazhath, addressing reporters on Friday, linked the attack to a wider climate of hostility. Condemning the assault, he said: “There is an atmosphere of fear among those belonging to the Church due to the recurrent attacks.”

“Such incidents are increasing day by day. This is not an attack on Christian minority only. It is an attack on the Constitution and religious freedom in the country and reflects the discrimination towards Christian minorities,” Thazhath said.

Thazhath urged the Centre and state governments to act against fringe groups involved in such incidents and “create a situation in which all people belonging to religious minorities can live without fear.”

He noted that human rights of minorities were being curtailed by such groups and cited a similar recent incident in Jabalpur. The CBCI, he said, has been holding discussions with both the government and opposition parties to safeguard minority rights.

“There are anti-conversion laws in different states and each of them are wrongly interpreted by activists who carry out the attacks,” he said, adding that some groups treat Christianity as a foreign religion despite its 2,000-year history in India.

On the case filed against two nuns in Chhattisgarh, he urged the state government to quash what he called a “fabricated” FIR.

Kerala’s Leader of Opposition V. D. Satheesan also condemned the incident, accusing Bajrang Dal workers of carrying out the attack. He criticised the police for not filing cases against the estimated 70 attackers.

He claimed there had been 835 attacks against Christians in BJP-ruled states over the past year.

“Where are the BJP leaders in Kerala who visit churches and treat the priests with cakes?” he asked, calling the latest incident an exposure of the party’s “true colours.”

Congress MP K. Suresh, after a meeting at party leader Rahul Gandhi’s residence on Thursday, said: “Today, we witnessed a deeply disturbing incident in Odisha where priests and nuns were attacked by members of the Bajrang Dal. They also destroyed sacred Bibles. In recent weeks, Christians have been targeted across Odisha. This incident is extremely serious, and we condemn it. We will be raising this issue in Parliament.”