Opposition criticises BJP for inaction after Christian priests allegedly assaulted in MP

Opposition leaders, including Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal, criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday after Christian priests from Kerala were allegedly assaulted in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur after being accused of forced religious conversions, reported The Hindu.

The Opposition leaders condemned the incident, calling it an example of increasing communal violence under the BJP’s rule. The BJP is the ruling party in Madhya Pradesh.

Members from the Congress and other Opposition parties brought up the issue in the Lok Sabha on Thursday and walked out of the chamber after Speaker Om Birla refused to allow a discussion. Congress MPs, led by Venugopal, also protested inside Parliament.

The Jabalpur Police said the incident took place on March 31 at the Ranjhi police station premises during an inquiry into allegations made by Hindutva group Vishva Hindu Parishad about the forced religious conversion of Adivasi persons from Mandla district.

According to Jabalpur Superintendent of Police Sampat Upadhyay, a first information report against three unidentified persons was filed and witness statements were being recorded, reported The Indian Express. The police stated that a separate investigation into the conversion allegations was underway.

The incident involved two Christian priests who visited the police station after the police detained a bus taking about 50 persons from Maharajpur village in Mandla,...

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