Four people have been detained for their suspected roles in the assault of a man over allegations of religious conversions in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district, police said on Thursday.
Dhenkanal SP Abhinav Sonkar informed that the detentions followed a formal complaint from the man’s wife, who reported that a mob assaulted her husband and forced him to parade through the village wearing a garland of shoes, accusing him of converting locals to another faith.
“Based on the complaint lodged by pastor Bipin Naik’s wife, we have detained four people after examining several individuals. A case has been registered at Parjang Police Station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS),” the SP said.
The SP further said that the injured pastor has undergone a medical examination, and police have already recorded statements from several witnesses.
While the assault occurred on January 4 within the Parjang Police Station limits, the matter only surfaced after the man’s wife lodged the police complaint, prompting an immediate investigation, according to another police official.
The complaint details that a group of 15 to 20 individuals, armed with bamboo sticks, stormed the pastor’s home while he was in the middle of a prayer.
The mob allegedly beat the Christian man, forcibly applied vermilion to his forehead, placed a garland of footwear around his neck, and paraded him publicly. Naik’s family further alleged that he was coerced into bowing before a local temple.
The pastor’s wife has denied all allegations that her husband was participating in religious conversion activities.
Regarding claims that the victim was forced to drink water from a drainage ditch, the SP noted that preliminary inquiries suggest that specific allegation is incorrect.
