Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma has written a letter to his Odisha counterpart and expressed grave concern regarding reports of an incident where a pastor was allegedly assaulted and subjected to public humiliation by a mob earlier this month.
In his letter to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, Sangma emphasised that the strength of India is rooted in its constitutional values, where religious faith remains a matter of individual conscience and any disputes must be resolved strictly through lawful means.
He stated that occurrences of mob violence in a traditionally peaceful state like Odisha are deeply distressing for citizens across the country, particularly for the Christian community, which holds the values of living with dignity and self-respect in high regard.
“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,” the chief minister said.
He further noted that acts of extremism must not be permitted to bypass due process, as such actions carry the risk of fostering fear and deep-seated mistrust between different communities.
“I trust your leadership will ensure that Odisha continues to uphold justice and the rule of law,” Sangma said in the letter.
The letter follows an incident on January 4 in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district, where a pastor was allegedly assaulted, paraded with a garland of shoes, and forced to consume cow dung based on suspicions related to religious conversion.
