Divisive Onslaught

Attacks on Christians are happening with disturbing regularity in West Bengal, a state that has till May reported stray incidents of religious intolerance which is seriously testing social harmony. The state has witnessed a rise in reported incidents targeting Christians by individuals claiming be proponents of Hindutva, often invoking the names of the VHP or Bajrang Dal. From May to September 2026, around 65 attacks on Christians were reported in Wests Bengal. Between January and April 2025,the corresponding figure was around 11. The contrast is stark, and the frequency of the recent incidents makes the trend impossible to dismiss as a series of isolated events. The Suvendu Adhikari government, which assumed office in West Bengal in May this year, may not be directly responsible for these attacks. Nor is it fair to attribute every act of violence to the party or to the wider Hindutva movement. Yet that distinction cannot become an excuse for inaction. A government is judged not only by what it orders, but also by how firmly it responds when citizens are threatened by those who claim ideological hegemony or political proximity. It is therefore incumbent upon chief minister and his administration to ensure that the lives, property and freedom of every citizen are protected. Those responsible for attacks must face the law, regardless of the organisation they invoke or the religious identity of their victims. Silence, delay or equivocation can embolden extremists and deepen the impression that some citizens enjoy greater protection than others.The developments are especially unsettling because Bengal has not generally been regarded as a state marked by the kind of communal hostility seen elsewhere in India. That makes the pattern more than a law-and-order concern. It raises the possibility that certain elements are attempting to target Christians in order to manufacture distrust and widen divisions within Bengali society. The objective may be to replace India’s tradition of unity through inclusive diversity with unity through exclusive hegemony.The issue is not whether one ideology may be expressed in public life. Every political and religious tradition has the right to argue for its beliefs. The red line is crossed when belief is converted into intimidation, when slogans become permission for violence, and when minorities are made to feel that citizenship is conditional on submission.Such a project would damage both social peace and economic progress. India’s ambition to occupy the top rung of the world’s economic powers cannot be pursued in isolation from the security and confidence of its citizens. People who can establish enterprises, create employment or build manufacturing units must be allowed to do so without fear. Investment and enterprise cannot flourish where identity invites vulnerability. The responsibility to reject this divisive politics does not rest with one community alone. In the northeastern states, particularly in the hill areas where Christianity is the dominant religion, Hindus and other religious groups must speak about how they are enjoying the right to practise and propagate their faith without intimidation by any dominant community. Such solidarity would remind the country that religious freedom cannot be defended selectively.India’s founding fathers made a diverse nation united through the ideology of pluralism. It is time that citizens need to raise their voices before intolerance becomes normal. Economic activity, equal protection and social harmony must prevail over the ambitions of those seeking religious dominance.