Shillong, Jan 23: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has condemned the recent attack on Pastor Bipin Bihari Naik in Odisha.
“The repeated attacks on Christians taint the diverse culture and religious fabric of our nation,” the Chief Minister said. He said forcing the Pastor to eat cow dung and chant religious slogan is a grave violation of the constitutional rights guaranteed to every citizen of India.
Sangma urged the concerned authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and take swift, decisive action against those responsible.
The National People’s Party (NPP) has formally written to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi seeking his intervention to uphold justice and rule of law.
NPP Working President James K Sangma said incidents of mob violence in a peaceful state like Odisha are deeply distressing for citizens across the country, and more so for people of the Christian faith who believe in living with dignity and self-respect.
“India’s strength lies in its constitutional values where faith is a matter of individual conscience and disputes must be addressed strictly through lawful means,” the NPP Working President said.
“Mob violence cannot be allowed to replace the rule of law. Targeting persons for their faith corrodes the plural social fabric that is essential to our constitutional order,” he said.
A pastor was assaulted, paraded with a garland of shoes and forced to eat cow dung on suspicion of religious conversion in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district on January 4.
James said while the case will, no doubt, be examined by the appropriate authorities, the manner in which Pastor Bipin Bihari Naik was treated is troubling and deserves careful attention.
“The acts of extremism cannot be allowed to substitute due process, as they risk creating fear and mistrust among communities,” he added.
