AICU Condemns Sangh Parivar Mob Attack on Auxilium Salesian Sisters in West Bengal, Seeks Action Against Culprits

New Delhi: The All India Catholic Union (AICU) on Tuesday strongly condemned the mob attack on the Auxilium Salesian Sisters in Barasat, West Bengal, calling it part of a growing pattern of harassment targeting Christian institutions and urging the state government to take immediate action.

In a press statement, the AICU alleged that around 60 individuals, reportedly affiliated with the Hindu Jagarana Manch, entered the premises of the FMA (Auxilium Salesian) Sisters on July 12 and threatened them with violence unless they demolished a memorial chapel and cemetery that the organisation said had been constructed with legal approval.

According to the AICU, the nuns were subjected to verbal abuse and intimidation during the incident. The organisation also stated that members of the mob told the sisters, "Your government is no more, now it is our government," which it described as an attempt to undermine the rule of law through intimidation.

The Catholic body claimed the incident was not an isolated one but part of a broader pattern of attacks and harassment against Christian institutions and communities in several parts of West Bengal. It said such incidents pose a challenge to the constitutional rights of religious minorities to freely practice their faith and manage their institutions and properties.

The AICU called on the West Bengal government to provide security to the Salesian Sisters and their institutions, ensure the protection of the chapel and cemetery, initiate strict legal action against those responsible for the attack, and direct local authorities to prevent similar incidents in the future.

"The right to worship and the right to maintain places of worship are fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution. No individual or organisation has the right to threaten nuns or force the demolition of structures built with due permissions," the statement said.

The organisation warned that any delay or inaction by the authorities could embolden further attacks on minority communities. It also expressed solidarity with the Salesian Sisters and said it would continue to monitor the situation closely, adding that it would approach higher authorities and courts if adequate protection was not provided.