Protestant pastor forced to eat cowdung, Catholic bishops condemn “heinous act”

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India on January 22 condemned what it called a heinous attack on a pastor in the eastern Indian state of Odisha.

“We demand immediate action against the perpetrators and justice for the victim,” said a statement issued by Father Robinson Rodrigues, the conference’s public relations officer.

The conference referred to a January 4 incident in Dhenkanal district where Protestant Pastor Bipin Naik was assaulted and forced to eat cow dung. According to Church sources, the pastor was attending a prayer meeting with his family and a few others. The attackers also forced him to chant “Jai Shri Ram (Hail Lord Ram).”

The Times of India on January 22 reported that the Odisha police detained four men the previous day over the alleged mob attack on the pastor accused of forced religious conversion at Parjang village, some 120 km northwest of Bhubaneswar, the state capital.

The action followed a complaint by the pastor’s wife to the district superintendent of police. The complaint dismissed as baseless the allegation of forcible conversion.

The pastor’s wife said that around 20 men allegedly attacked the pastor while he was leading the prayer. The mob smeared sindoor (vermillion powder) on the pastor’s face, garlanded him with footwears and paraded him through the village.

The mob allegedly forced the pastor to drink drain water and bow before a Hindu temple.

The pastor had reportedly gone to a Christian’s house on invitation to pray for the owner’s health.

The complaint also alleged that the police reached the village much later.

The Catholic bishops said they stood in solidarity with the victim and urged authorities to ensure safety and protection for all citizens.

“Forcing a person to eat cow dung is a grave act of violence and humiliation, targeting an individual’s dignity and faith,” the bishops asserted.

They appealed for peace and harmony and urged fellow Indians to reject violence in all its forms.

Odisha has been ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party since June 12, 2024. This was the first time the Hindu nationalist party assumed power in the state which was earlier ruled by a regional party.

Monitoring groups and Church leaders report that anti-Christian incidents have increased as Hindu nationalist groups feel emboldened by the political shift.

The United Christian Forum, a New Delhi-based ecumenical group, recorded 40 incidents in Odisha in 2024. The National Commission for Minorities formally requested a report from the state government in mid-2025 regarding the spike in violence

Major attacks included an incident that happened just two days after the new government took office. An unknown person hurled a bomb at a Baptist church in Cuttack during an evening meeting.

During November-December the same year, violent attacks were reported in Gajapati district, followed by church vandalism in Rayagada and Jajpur. In Balipatna, a mob allegedly forced a Christian youth to trample a Bible.

On the night of June 20, 2025, some 300 fundamentalists attacked an agricultural prayer gathering in Matapaka village in Malkangiri. At least 30 Christians were reportedly wounded with axes and iron rods.

In August 2025, a mob of 70 people attacked two Catholic priests, two nuns, and a Bible teacher in Balasore district. They were falsely accused of religious conversion while attending a death anniversary Mass.

This article was originally published on https://mattersindia.com/2026/01/catholic-bishops-condemn-protestant-pastors-torture-in-odisha/