Locals burn effigy of Christian priests at Basanti in WB

KOLKATA A group of locals at Basanti in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas on Thursday (November 5, 2026) burnt effigy of local Christian priests and submitted a memorandum to the police station against the local priests. Basanti has been on the boil since November 1 after a newly constructed church was vandalised by a mob claiming their allegiance to a Hindutva outfit.

The protest on Thursday (November 5, 2026) was organised by Adivasi Eilya Parishad, a local organisation whose representatives said that Adivasis are being lured for conversion on the promise of curing disease, which should not be allowed. The West Bengal chapter of National Christian Council (NCC) in a press statement added that effigy of local priests were set on fire at Chowmatha crossing in Basanti.

“Later in the evening, during the Friday prayer service, a group of approximately 20–25 people allegedly surrounded women attending the service.