About 20 criminals armed with bombs pipeguns and revolvers raided a church in Nadia district during the Christmas eve mass on the night of December 24 and injured six persons in bomb attacks and looted some cash from the church safe and the devotees. According to the local police sources, about 20 criminals hurled bombs inside the church, located at Malipota near Karimpur-Chapra highway along India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal, before storming the prayer hall where the midnight mass was held with about 1200 devotees.

The gang entered the prayer hall, looted money from the church safe and also jewellery, wrist-watches and other valuables from the devotees present there. The chief priest suffered some minor injuries in his hand when he tried to resist the gang. Five devotees also sustained bomb splinter wounds. On being informed, police came and fired at least 10 rounds but the criminals had already escaped under the cover of darkness and fog. The church, standing barely five km from the international border, is located in an area where people walk into Bangladesh and return without being challenged by security forces.

Next day, the police arrested three persons in connection with the plunder of church. The police suspect the raid was carried out by a gang comprising criminals from Nadia and Meherpur and Rajshahi districts in Bangladesh. Nadia police picked up Latif, 25, from Chapra, Subol Ghosh, 24, from Sompukur and Azibur, 26, from Thanerpara areas on the December 25 noon.

In a report posted on telegraphindia.com, the Murshidabad range deputy inspector-general D.P. Tarenia said: “From the initial description of the criminals by the witnesses and the information we received from our local sources, it became evident that Latif, Azibur and Subol were involved in the incident,” “Police teams separately raided the places where the three had taken shelter and arrested them,” he added.

The arrested trio has told interrogators that Milan Sheikh, Ziauddin Alam and Refiqual Islam—all three from Bangladesh—were the brains behind the attack. Investigators said they have collected the names of 12 suspects, apart from the arrested trio. Sources said five of them are from Nakasipara, Chapra, Tehatta and Taherpur in Nadia. “The seven others are from Meherpur and Rajshahi. They used to thrive on lifting cattle, but have graduated to robbery and looting,” a Tehetta policeman said. Chapra police said Sheikh and Alam had been arrested earlier for robbery in Fulia and Bagamara in Nadia and were pushed back across the border.

The district police admitted that in the beginning of the year there was a spurt in dacoities, but this is the first time the robbers have targeted a place of worship. Shri Tarenia said it is difficult to verify the identity of Bangladeshi criminals. “Eyewitnesses could make out from their dialect that they are Bangladeshis. It is impossible to crosscheck their names and addresses without the cooperation of the Bangladesh police,” he said.

Now, see how the White mentality, the mentor of our pseudo-secular brigade, presented this report in an irresponsible manner, maligning the image of India. Here is the spin put on it by a BBC report. The report giving an account of the attack on church on Malipota says: “In recent years, there has been an increase in violence against Christians in India, who make up about 2% of the population.” And how do they support their claim? By mentioning about the only attack in 1999 in Orissa on an Australian missionary working in India and his two sons. Here it is worth noting that the report does mention that the area where the attack on the church took place “is close to the Bangladesh border”. It conveniently preferred to ignore the point that the attack was carried out by Bangladeshis. Now it is evident that those who conducted the plunder were Bangladeshis, will BBC tender an apology?

It is not all. The report, which is on the attack on the church, as if to give weightage to its claim of increasing violence against Christians in India, says: “Last month, the southern state of Tamil Nadu passed a controversial new law banning religious conversion through coercion or material inducement. Many Christian groups in the state protested against the move which they argued was unconstitutional.”

It is beyond one’s comprehension as to how one can justify his claim about increasing violence against Christians in India by linking it with a law that simply bans conversion by use of force, allurement, or fraudulent means!

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