Two Catholic priests, two nuns, and a catechist were attacked by a mob of approximately 70 people near Gangadhar village in Jaleswar on 6 August, sparking condemnation from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI).
The incident occurred when Fr. Lijo Nirappel, Parish Priest of St. Thomas’ Church, Jaleswar, and Fr. V. Jojo of Joda Parish were returning from celebrating a requiem Mass marking the second death anniversary of two local Catholic men. They were accompanied by two nuns and catechist Mr. Durjyodhan.
According to Fr. Lijo, the group had arrived at Gangadhar mission station around 5 p.m. The Mass and fellowship meal began after 6 p.m., once villagers returned from their fields during the ongoing planting season. As they departed around 9 p.m., the attack unfolded on a narrow forested stretch of road.
“Hardly half a kilometre away from the village, in a narrow forested stretch of road, a mob of about 70 Bajrang Dal men lay in wait,” Fr. Lijo said. “They first targeted our catechist who was on a motorcycle. They beat him mercilessly, dismantled his bike, drained the fuel, and threw it aside.”
The attackers then stopped the priests’ vehicle by force, hurling communal abuse and physically assaulting the clergy. Fr. Lijo recounted: “They physically attacked us - pushing, pulling, and beating us badly. They punched us, snatched our mobile phones, and kept shouting that we were trying to make them Americans - converting them by force.”
The mob allegedly shouted: “Those BJD days are over, now it’s BJP’s rule - you cannot make Christians anymore.”
Local village women rescued the nuns, but the priests and catechist faced continued assault. The attackers falsely accused them of religious conversion in front of media personnel who had accompanied the Bajrang Dal members. Fr. Lijo described it as “a planned ambush” and said “They brought their own media to fabricate a narrative.”
Police arrived approximately 45 minutes into the ordeal, including a female constable and two male officers. However, the mob continued their tirade even in the presence of police. The stolen mobile phones were never recovered, despite Fr. Lijo informing officers about the theft.
“The police then told the mob they would take us to the station for inquiry, but in reality, they were just rescuing us from further violence,” Fr. Lijo explained.
Mr. Durjyodhan was brutally beaten and his motorcycle damaged. Many in the mob were reportedly outsiders to the area.
The CBCI issued a strong condemnation, describing the attack as part of “a disturbing pattern of violence against Christian minorities, reflecting a growing climate of intolerance in the country.” The organisation called such actions “a blatant violation of the constitutional rights and human dignity of minorities.”
Fr. Lijo, a former director of Balasore Social Service Society, expressed deep anguish over the incident. “I never imagined something like this could happen in the Jaleswar area. We were simply performing a prayer service for grieving families, and we were attacked and humiliated on baseless allegations,” he said.
Fr. V. Jojo, the visiting priest, was deeply shocked by the unprovoked attack. “I had come simply to offer a prayer service. I never imagined such hostility for doing something so peaceful and sacred,” he said.
No First Information Report (FIR) had been registered at the time of initial reporting, with church officials awaiting the arrival of Bishop Varghese Thottamkara to assess the situation.
The CBCI has called upon the Odisha government to take swift action to identify and prosecute the perpetrators and ensure protection for minority communities. The organisation stated it will continue monitoring the situation and defending the rights of the Christian community.
