Odisha Pastor Assaulted and Forced to Consume Cow Dung by Bajrang Dal Members

Odisha: A Christian pastor in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district was allegedly assaulted, publicly humiliated, and forced to consume cow dung by a group linked to the Bajrang Dal.

The incident occurred on January 4 in Parjang village when Pastor Bipin Bihari Naik was attending a prayer meeting at a private residence along with his family and a few other Christian families. A group of around 40 people reportedly gathered outside the house, forced their way in, and accused the pastor of carrying out religious conversions.

Vandana, the pastor’s wife, said the group began attacking those present without provocation. She said there were seven families attending the prayer when the assault began. Fearing for their lives, she and her children escaped through a narrow alley and rushed to the nearby police station to seek help.

Pastor Naik said he was beaten with sticks, had red sindoor smeared on his face, and was forced to wear a garland made of slippers before being paraded through the village. Vandana alleged that despite repeatedly pleading with the police, no immediate action was taken to stop the violence.

She further said that her husband was taken to a Hanuman temple, where his hands were tied behind a rod. “He was bleeding badly. People kept hitting him, forced him to eat cow dung and made him chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’,” she said.

Police eventually reached the spot and rescued the pastor, but witnesses said the mob remained present for some time even after the police arrived. A local social activist told reporters that Pastor Bipin was made to sit at the police station for nearly an hour after being brought there and was not given immediate medical treatment despite his injuries.

Parjang is a Hindu-majority village with only seven Christian families. While the police have registered a case related to the assault, a counter complaint has also been filed against Pastor Bipin, accusing him of forced religious conversion.