Choosing faith over fear

A 65-year-old woman, Purnima (name changed to protect privacy), had eagerly waited for October 31, 2026, when a new church was to be inaugurated in front of her house. Her family had donated a significant amount of land and the freshly painted white building of William Cary Memorial Church was ready to welcome devotees at Narayantala village in Basanti block of West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district. Now, she shudders when she thinks about what happened on that Saturday afternoon to the church.

“The gate of the church was opened for the first and the last time on October 31. During the inaugural function, a group entered the premises and attacked the priests and others who were participating in the ceremony,” Purnima says, recalling the attack that left her and several others injured. She says she was hit with a stick and had to be hospitalised for a day.

After the attack, the church has been closed, but Purnima says she often goes to its door to peek at the picture of Jesus Christ through a broken window.