The pastor and his family had been attending a prayer meeting in a private residence together with other families in the village of Parjang, in Dhenkanal district, when a group of around twenty individuals stormed the house and assaulted him, also striking those who attempted to assist him.

The pastor was subsequently subjected to public humiliation: he was forced to eat cow dung, bow before a temple and shout Jai Shree Ram (“Hail Lord Ram”). Afterwards, smeared with red pigment, he was compelled to parade through the village wearing a garland of flowers around his neck and a pair of slippers.

Police officers, who arrived nearly an hour later, initially resisted formally registering the incident. It required the intervention of a superintendent before the complaint filed by Pastor Naik’s wife was accepted. Meanwhile, the attackers had filed their own complaint against the pastor, accusing him of carrying out forced conversions. Nine individuals were later arrested by police on 21 January, while further investigations remain under way.

Condemning the attack, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India called for immediate action against those responsible and justice for the victim.

The incident was also denounced by Conrad K. Sangma, Chief Minister of the north-eastern state of Meghalaya and a practising Catholic, who described it as a stain on India’s pluralistic fabric.

The opposition Congress party attributed the attack to the “politics of hatred and division” pursued by the Bharatiya Janata Party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling it a disgrace for humanity and for civil society.

Since the state of Odisha came under the control of the Bharatiya Janata Party in June 2024, attacks against Christians have increased, including cases in which burial has been denied — an act representing a profound social and religious dishonour for those affected — by far-right Hindu groups.

According to the “Report 2025: Hate Speech Events in India” published by India Hate Lab (IHL), an agency of the Centre for the Study of Organised Hate based in Washington DC, 1,318 in-person incidents of hate speech targeting Muslims and Christians were recorded across India in 2025 — an average of four per day.

The report states that 2025 marked a deeply worrying phase in the trajectory of anti-minority rhetoric in India, reflecting a new threshold of tolerance for the public expression of hatred.

Following the surge in hate speech observed in 2024, the overall number of incidents increased further in 2025, indicating the deep entrenchment of sectarian rhetoric as a routine feature of the country’s political and social landscape.

In total, 1,289 incidents (98%) targeted Muslims, either explicitly (1,156 cases) or alongside Christians (133 cases). Meanwhile, 162 incidents targeted Christians, representing 12% of the total and marking a 41% increase compared with 2024.

The states recording the highest number of incidents were Uttar Pradesh (266), Maharashtra (193), Madhya Pradesh (172), Uttarakhand (155) and Delhi (76).

Overall, 88% of the incidents occurred in states governed by the BJP, either directly or in coalition, as well as in Union Territories administered by the party — a 25% increase compared with 2024.

Vedi, India: cresce l’odio contro musulmani e cristiani

Photo. Activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a Hindu nationalist organisation (© Manish Swarup/AP).