Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, September 3, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Iraqi Kurdish authorities to swiftly investigate the motive behind the shooting of journalist Hemn Mamand in Sulaymaniyah on Tuesday.
Mamand was shot while leaving a restaurant, hours after broadcasting his talk show “Sarinj – Comment” on Sterk TV, where he discusses human rights, including Turkish military operations in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region.
“Two men on a motorcycle opened fire on him before fleeing the scene,” his Sterk TV colleague Barham Latif, told CPJ. “The gunmen fired five shots. One bullet struck his arm, and shrapnel from another hit his abdomen.”
“The targeted shooting of Mamand in the center of Sulaymaniyah appears to be an attempted assassination, and we are investigating whether it was connected with his political reporting, said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah. “Authorities must transparently investigate, hold the perpetrators accountable, and ensure that journalists are safe.”
Sterk TV is funded by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been embroiled in a decades-long conflict with Turkey. It has been designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union. Iraq’s National Security Council banned the group in 2024.
In July, the PKK — which has long been targeted by Turkish forces in Iraq — began to lay down arms in Sulaymaniyah on the orders of PKK leader Abdullah Ojalan.
Hours after the September 2 shooting, Mamand posted on Facebook that he had “repeatedly asked” the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, which governs Sulaymaniyah, “to provide me with protection because of the threats to my life over my work and activism against Turkey’s racist policies” — a reference to Turkey’s treatment of its Kurdish minority.
Mamand has participated in protests in Sulaymaniyah against Turkish military operations in Kurdistan, press freedom violations, and delays to civil service pay, according to CPJ research.
A person at the hospital, who declined to be named, citing fear of retaliation, told CPJ Mamand had undergone surgery and was stable.
Salam Abdulkhaliq, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region Security Agency, responsible for Sulaymaniyah’s security, told CPJ via messaging app on September 3 that no one had yet been arrested over Mamand’s shooting and “the investigation to locate the perpetrators is still ongoing.”
Democrats and Republicans are locked in a historic battle over congressional representation as Texas Republicans gerrymander the state’s district maps to flip five Democratic seats, at the request of President Trump. California Governor Gavin Newsom says he is fighting “fire with fire,” signing legislation to hold special elections for the public to approve a new gerrymandered map of their own. David Daley, a voting rights expert and the author of Antidemocratic: Inside the Right’s 50-Year Plot to Control American Elections, calls this a “gerrymandering Armageddon” that threatens to spread nationwide. “Donald Trump does not want to have an election fair and square,” says Texas state legislator Trey Martinez Fischer, a Democrat representing San Antonio. “He wants to be the 'commander-in-cheat.' He wants to cheat on America, cheat on democracy, steal these congressional seats.”
This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
At least three instances of Hindutva groups barging into gatherings and accusing those congregating of religious conversions have emerged so far in August. Videos from each of these instances — in Sehore, Madhya Pradesh, Raipur, Chhattisgarh and Balasore, Odisha — show pro-Right activists taking matters into their own hands, with little regard for law and thrceatening and harassing citizens.
These instances come after two Catholic nuns from Kerala and a man from Chhattisgarh were arrested in Durg, Chhattisgarh, last month, over allegations by members of the Bajrang Dal that they were coercing three tribal women into conversion and taking them to different parts of the country against their will. Videos even showed a woman associated with Durga Vahini, the women’s equivalent of Bajrang Dal, checking their documents and questioning them in police presence. The three tribal women and their families later clarified that they were already Christians and were travelling with the nuns willingly. The women also alleged that members of Hindutva groups linked to the Vishva Hindu Parishad slapped and touched them inappropriately. The nuns — Sisters Vandana Francis and Preethi Mary — and the man, Sukhman Mandavi, who was a cousin of one of the three women, were granted bail on August 2 after spending nearly a week in judicial custody.
Alt News documents the three cases in this report, which follow a similar narrative to what happened in Durg.
1. Sehore, Madhya Pradesh
On August 17, Instagram user @royal_kanha_dhangar posted a video showing men entering a house and recording those inside. The video also showed a Bible there. The post was in collaboration with the account of Bajrang Dal Sehore and had the watermark ‘Bajrang Dal Sehore’. The caption accompanying the video said, “…On Sunday, acting on information of a religious conversion racket in Sehore, police raided a house in Housing Board Colony. The information was first given to the police by Bajrang Dal workers… In this conversion racket, a police officer named Ahirwar was also involved…Those present at the spot, during questioning, expressed support for Christianity…”
In the background of the video, the official track of the Bajrang Dal by YouTube channel Vyshakh Achappa played on.
Alt News managed to locate a longer version of the above video without the added background music on Facebook, posted by a user named Jai Rai. In the video, which is over seven minutes long, the person recording it states that the house shown in the clip hosts prayer meetings where religious conversions happen every Sunday.
On entering the said house, the person recording says, “There is a whole system installed (referring to an audio player), there is ‘Kitaab-e-maqsad’ and Bible here”. The titles of two holy books appear at the 1:11-minute mark of the video. These are ‘Kitaab-e-mukhhas’, the Urdu name for the Holy Bible, and ‘Sampurn Adhyayan Bible’ or the complete study Bible. He then asks the man standing at the podium his name, why so many people were gathered there, which god they were praying to and if they were all Christians.
सीहोर नगर के हाउसिंग बोर्ड कॉलोनी में धर्मांतरण का बड़ा मामला
बजरंग दल के कार्यकर्ताओ द्वारा कार्यवाही
The man says his name is Jabbar Khan and the house belongs to him. He adds that those gathered were praying to god and had been meeting for two years. He adds that everyone present belonged to different religions and no one preached any particular religion; they gathered to talk about ‘Parmatma’ (God).
The person recording the video then asks individuals present there, including minors, their names and why they were listening to Khan reciting the Bible. He also asks if they converted to Christianity. None of the attendees indicated they were coerced.
At the 4:16-minute mark, one of the activists who barged in threatens one of the attendees, Biren Ahirwar, saying, “Chappal utaar ke maarunga” (Will hit you with my shoe).
Around the 6:36-minute mark, the situation becomes heated, and Biren Ahirwar gets into a verbal confrontation with the Bajrang Dal members outside the house. One of the activists tells Ahirwar, “Bheek mein saari cheez Hindu ke naam le liya, SC/ST ke naam, aur yahan tu maa ch*** raha hain” (You took everything as charity in the name of Hinduism and SC/ST, and here you are messing around [expletive]). Towards the end of the video, Bajrang Dal members are seen threatening the women and men inside.
We then found another video on Facebook showing police officials at the scene. As they escort Jabbar Khan out, one of the Bajrang Dal members calls him ‘Katua’ (a derogatory term for Muslim men) and says that he conducts religious conversions. The others also repeat that the people there were caught converting people and point out that Biren Ahirwar is a police official.
सीहोर में धर्मांतरण का बड़ा मामला आया सामने, घर में चल रहा धर्मांतरण का खेल, पुलिस पहुंची मौके पर, थाने पहुंचा मामला, बजरंग दल के कार्यकर्ता हुए जमा, कार्यवाही की उठी मांग
#sehore #ashta #ichavar #MadhyaPradesh #dharmantaran #babakhabrilal
Alt News reached out to a senior police officer at Sehore police station, who rubbished claims of religious conversion. “All those who were present in that room still hold their birth names; they have not converted to any other religion. They organise a prayer meet there every Sunday, and no one has complained about any forceful conversion. One of our police constables was also present in that room. We have registered the application from the complainants, and further investigation is being carried out. No one has been detained or arrested so far,” the police officer said.
2. Raipur, Chhattisgarh
According to a video shared by news outlet Maktoob on August 15, a group of VHP-Bajrang Dal members stormed into the Jehovah Nissi Church in Raipur and claimed religious conversions were taking place there. “They vandalised the church, attacked Christians who resisted, and chanted the Hanuman Chalisa while demanding action against those accused of conversion,” the caption read. In the video, some policemen are seen standing between a mob of men in saffron shirts and bandanas and another group of people. The mob also sloganeers for Bajrang Dal in the clip.
A group of VHP-Bajrang Dal members stormed the Jehovah Nissi Church in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, claiming religious conversions were happening. They vandalized the church, attacked Christians who resisted, and chanted the Hanuman Chalisa while demanding action against those accused of conversion.
Taking a cue from this, we ran a relevant keyword search in Hindi, which led us to a YouTube video by Zee Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh from August 10. In the video, the anchor speaks to one of the Bajrang Dal activists at the site, who claims they received information that women were being given Rs 200 per day to hold prayer meetings, which caused locals to be angry. “If not conducting religious conversions, then what else can they be doing in a closed room?” he asks.
At the 11:01-minute mark of the video report, a minor girl tells the channel that the house, where religious conversions were allegedly happening, would play loud music even when the neighbours would urge them not to owing to kids’ exams. She adds that she and a few others were allegedly approached by some women who said, “You will get money if you join us, get rid of Hinduism”. Others chimed in that these people were brainwashing children.
The report said that police have detained the women who were allegedly involved in religious conversions.
Christian Women Accuse Bajrang Dal of Harassment
Another video, from the same area and the same day, taken from a different angle, is circulating on social media. Here, Bajrang Dal members are seen making obscene gestures. A video by Mirror Chhattisgarh shows a journalist interviewing the Christian women, who claim they were sexually harassed by Bajrang Dal members. Before the women are interviewed, the channel plays a clip from the day of the incident, where a man from the Hindutva mob makes obscene gestures at the women. Another man is also seen making lewd hand gestures despite police presence.
During the interview, the women alleged that Bajrang Dal members pulled their clothes and touched their breasts. They claimed that the Hindutva activists also asked them, “Would you come with me for Rs 200-300?” (implying sex work). Another woman said that when she gave them her name, they called her “Chamar” (a scheduled caste) and “neech log” (lower caste). She added that the men gave them rape threats and allegedly remarked, “We will (re-)create Manipur” (a reference to the sexual assault and rape of two Kuki women by a mob of Meitei men in May 2023).
One of the women told the news outlet that they went to the Sarswati Nagar police station to complain and asked the police to register an FIR against the Bajrang Dal for harassment, but the police allegedly refused to do so.
‘No Arrests’: Police
Alt News reached out to Daulat Ram Porte, Raipur Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), who confirmed that no arrests have been made in the matter. However, when we asked him if any religious conversion was being conducted there, he declined to comment and said the matter was being investigated. He also refused to comment on whether an FIR had been registered in the matter based on complaints by either party.
It should be noted that, just a few weeks before this incident, also in Chhattisgarh, Sisters Vandana Francis and Preethi Mary were arrested after Bajrang Dal members alleged that the nuns were involved in forceful conversions.
3. Balasore, Odisha
On August 6, a group of nuns and priests travelling in a car through Gangadhar village in Odisha’s Balasore district were stopped by 70 individuals. The latter alleged that the priests and nuns were involved in forced religious conversions.
A video of the incident was shared on X by Anti Christian Tracker Watch – ACT India (@ACTWatchIndia). The caption says that the nuns and priests were brutally assaulted. In the clip, a man in a torn shirt is seen at the 00:46-minute mark; he is the same person seen in the car, travelling with the priests and nuns. The police are also present at the scene.
Jaleshwar, Balasore, OD | 6 AUG’25
CATHOLIC NUNS AND PRIESTS returning from Requiem Mass ambushed by 70 Bajrang Dal goons — brutally assaulted, Bibles thrown, phones stolen, all on baseless ‘conversion’ claims. Police escorted the victims… attackers walked free. @hrw@USCIRFpic.twitter.com/092UohkZAD
— Anti Christian Tracker Watch – ACT India (@ACTWatchIndia) August 8, 2025
According to a report by the news agency Press Trust of India from August 8, the police officials said that some ‘locals’ had stopped the group of priests and nuns, who were later ‘rescued’ by the police. The report reiterated that the group suspected them of carrying out forceful religious conversions, but individuals ‘were not harmed in any manner’.
A report by India Today, from August 6, gave more details. According to this, two Catholic priests, a catechist (Bible teacher) and two nuns were returning from a memorial service under the Jaleswar parish in Balasore district. Among the priests, Father Lijo, the parish priest of St. Thomas Church in Jaleswar, was also present. The individuals had attended a Requiem Mass (a form of the Roman Catholic Mass used in funeral rites) and a fellowship meal in the area and were returning around 9 pm when they were stopped by a large mob who allegedly harassed, abused and assaulted them. The catechist, who was driving a motorcycle ahead of the car that carried the rest, was the first to be intercepted — he was allegedly dragged from his vehicle and beaten, followed by the priests and the nun, who were also manhandled. The report also said that while this unfolded, the villagers tried to step in and stop the attack and explain that they were there for a memorial service; however, the mob continued to accuse the priests and nuns of forced religious conversions.
Some of the nuns and priests in this case, too, were from Kerala. The incident prompted a strong statement from Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. On August 8, he posted on X that Christian priests and nuns were assaulted by ‘Sangh Parivaar goons’ (referring to far-Right Hindutva groups Rashtriya Swamsevak Sangh and the VHP).
Reports of an assault on Keralite Catholic priests & nuns by Sangh Parivar goons in Jaleswar, Odisha, on false charges of religious conversion, reflect the ongoing communal witch-hunt against Christians in the country, exemplified by the arrest of nuns in Chhattisgarh weeks ago.…
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) has alleged that apart from being assaulted and harassed by the mob, Father Lijo’s phone was taken away and the catechist’s motorcycle was damaged.
Alt News reached out to Dibakar Parichha, the public relations officer of Odisha Bishops’ Regional Council (OBRC), the Odisha wing of CBCI, who said that the mob that attacked the Christian priests and nuns included people from other villages. However, he said he was not sure if the group was specifically affiliated with any particular group. Parichha added that it is believed some members of Bajrang Dal were present there since that is the most radical group, which often causes hindrance for minorities.
While giving a run-down of the happenings of August 6, he said, “While Father Lijo, along with the catechist, nuns and another priest, were going to the location of the memorial service in Jaleswar church for someone who died, they noticed some people gathering in the area; however, nobody approached them on their way to the church. Later in the evening, while they were coming back, the mob, which was quite large, about 70-80 people, attacked them. They brutally beat up the catechist and attacked the car, which included Father Lijo, two nuns and another priest, snatched their mobile phones”.
He added that there has been a rise in attacks against the Christian communities in India, while also citing the recent case of the arrest of Sisters Preethi Mary and Vandana Francis in Chhattisgarh. Parichha mentioned that they have filed a complaint, and the police have accepted the FIR, but they have little hope that the police will take any action against the attackers.
Police Version
According to a report by TV9 Bharatvansh, after the police arrived, they took details of all those involved in the attack and let them go.
We reached out to Basta sub-divisional officer, Manas Deo, who said he was not aware of any such incident. “There hasn’t been a single complaint about any such case; it is hearsay”. When we told him that the CBCI said it filed a complaint, he said no complaints had been filed. He did say, however, that some priests and nuns had come to the area but that there was no conversion angle. He added that there was no violence or physical confrontation.
Alt News also reached out to the Basta PS inspector-in-charge Ranjit Sahu, who reiterated that there was no conversion angle. He said that he was not aware if the catechist, nuns and priests had faced any physical assault from the mob.
A Rise In Attacks Against Christians
The three incidents — in Sehore, Raipur and Balasore — point to a recurring pattern of increasing hostilities against Christian minorities and Hindutva groups taking it upon themselves to threaten and harass them. The Evangelical Fellowship of India’s Religious Liberty Commission (EFIRLC), in its 2024 annual report released in March, documented a sharp rise in attacks against Christian minorities. Out of more than 840 reported cases, the commission verified 640. This is up from 601 cases in 2023 and nearly four times the number recorded in 2014, when 147 incidents were reported.
At least three instances of Hindutva groups barging into gatherings and accusing those congregating of religious conversions have emerged so far in August. Videos from each of these instances — in Sehore, Madhya Pradesh, Raipur, Chhattisgarh and Balasore, Odisha — show pro-Right activists taking matters into their own hands, with little regard for law and thrceatening and harassing citizens.
These instances come after two Catholic nuns from Kerala and a man from Chhattisgarh were arrested in Durg, Chhattisgarh, last month, over allegations by members of the Bajrang Dal that they were coercing three tribal women into conversion and taking them to different parts of the country against their will. Videos even showed a woman associated with Durga Vahini, the women’s equivalent of Bajrang Dal, checking their documents and questioning them in police presence. The three tribal women and their families later clarified that they were already Christians and were travelling with the nuns willingly. The women also alleged that members of Hindutva groups linked to the Vishva Hindu Parishad slapped and touched them inappropriately. The nuns — Sisters Vandana Francis and Preethi Mary — and the man, Sukhman Mandavi, who was a cousin of one of the three women, were granted bail on August 2 after spending nearly a week in judicial custody.
Alt News documents the three cases in this report, which follow a similar narrative to what happened in Durg.
1. Sehore, Madhya Pradesh
On August 17, Instagram user @royal_kanha_dhangar posted a video showing men entering a house and recording those inside. The video also showed a Bible there. The post was in collaboration with the account of Bajrang Dal Sehore and had the watermark ‘Bajrang Dal Sehore’. The caption accompanying the video said, “…On Sunday, acting on information of a religious conversion racket in Sehore, police raided a house in Housing Board Colony. The information was first given to the police by Bajrang Dal workers… In this conversion racket, a police officer named Ahirwar was also involved…Those present at the spot, during questioning, expressed support for Christianity…”
In the background of the video, the official track of the Bajrang Dal by YouTube channel Vyshakh Achappa played on.
Alt News managed to locate a longer version of the above video without the added background music on Facebook, posted by a user named Jai Rai. In the video, which is over seven minutes long, the person recording it states that the house shown in the clip hosts prayer meetings where religious conversions happen every Sunday.
On entering the said house, the person recording says, “There is a whole system installed (referring to an audio player), there is ‘Kitaab-e-maqsad’ and Bible here”. The titles of two holy books appear at the 1:11-minute mark of the video. These are ‘Kitaab-e-mukhhas’, the Urdu name for the Holy Bible, and ‘Sampurn Adhyayan Bible’ or the complete study Bible. He then asks the man standing at the podium his name, why so many people were gathered there, which god they were praying to and if they were all Christians.
सीहोर नगर के हाउसिंग बोर्ड कॉलोनी में धर्मांतरण का बड़ा मामला
बजरंग दल के कार्यकर्ताओ द्वारा कार्यवाही
The man says his name is Jabbar Khan and the house belongs to him. He adds that those gathered were praying to god and had been meeting for two years. He adds that everyone present belonged to different religions and no one preached any particular religion; they gathered to talk about ‘Parmatma’ (God).
The person recording the video then asks individuals present there, including minors, their names and why they were listening to Khan reciting the Bible. He also asks if they converted to Christianity. None of the attendees indicated they were coerced.
At the 4:16-minute mark, one of the activists who barged in threatens one of the attendees, Biren Ahirwar, saying, “Chappal utaar ke maarunga” (Will hit you with my shoe).
Around the 6:36-minute mark, the situation becomes heated, and Biren Ahirwar gets into a verbal confrontation with the Bajrang Dal members outside the house. One of the activists tells Ahirwar, “Bheek mein saari cheez Hindu ke naam le liya, SC/ST ke naam, aur yahan tu maa ch*** raha hain” (You took everything as charity in the name of Hinduism and SC/ST, and here you are messing around [expletive]). Towards the end of the video, Bajrang Dal members are seen threatening the women and men inside.
We then found another video on Facebook showing police officials at the scene. As they escort Jabbar Khan out, one of the Bajrang Dal members calls him ‘Katua’ (a derogatory term for Muslim men) and says that he conducts religious conversions. The others also repeat that the people there were caught converting people and point out that Biren Ahirwar is a police official.
सीहोर में धर्मांतरण का बड़ा मामला आया सामने, घर में चल रहा धर्मांतरण का खेल, पुलिस पहुंची मौके पर, थाने पहुंचा मामला, बजरंग दल के कार्यकर्ता हुए जमा, कार्यवाही की उठी मांग
#sehore #ashta #ichavar #MadhyaPradesh #dharmantaran #babakhabrilal
Alt News reached out to a senior police officer at Sehore police station, who rubbished claims of religious conversion. “All those who were present in that room still hold their birth names; they have not converted to any other religion. They organise a prayer meet there every Sunday, and no one has complained about any forceful conversion. One of our police constables was also present in that room. We have registered the application from the complainants, and further investigation is being carried out. No one has been detained or arrested so far,” the police officer said.
2. Raipur, Chhattisgarh
According to a video shared by news outlet Maktoob on August 15, a group of VHP-Bajrang Dal members stormed into the Jehovah Nissi Church in Raipur and claimed religious conversions were taking place there. “They vandalised the church, attacked Christians who resisted, and chanted the Hanuman Chalisa while demanding action against those accused of conversion,” the caption read. In the video, some policemen are seen standing between a mob of men in saffron shirts and bandanas and another group of people. The mob also sloganeers for Bajrang Dal in the clip.
A group of VHP-Bajrang Dal members stormed the Jehovah Nissi Church in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, claiming religious conversions were happening. They vandalized the church, attacked Christians who resisted, and chanted the Hanuman Chalisa while demanding action against those accused of conversion.
Taking a cue from this, we ran a relevant keyword search in Hindi, which led us to a YouTube video by Zee Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh from August 10. In the video, the anchor speaks to one of the Bajrang Dal activists at the site, who claims they received information that women were being given Rs 200 per day to hold prayer meetings, which caused locals to be angry. “If not conducting religious conversions, then what else can they be doing in a closed room?” he asks.
At the 11:01-minute mark of the video report, a minor girl tells the channel that the house, where religious conversions were allegedly happening, would play loud music even when the neighbours would urge them not to owing to kids’ exams. She adds that she and a few others were allegedly approached by some women who said, “You will get money if you join us, get rid of Hinduism”. Others chimed in that these people were brainwashing children.
The report said that police have detained the women who were allegedly involved in religious conversions.
Christian Women Accuse Bajrang Dal of Harassment
Another video, from the same area and the same day, taken from a different angle, is circulating on social media. Here, Bajrang Dal members are seen making obscene gestures. A video by Mirror Chhattisgarh shows a journalist interviewing the Christian women, who claim they were sexually harassed by Bajrang Dal members. Before the women are interviewed, the channel plays a clip from the day of the incident, where a man from the Hindutva mob makes obscene gestures at the women. Another man is also seen making lewd hand gestures despite police presence.
During the interview, the women alleged that Bajrang Dal members pulled their clothes and touched their breasts. They claimed that the Hindutva activists also asked them, “Would you come with me for Rs 200-300?” (implying sex work). Another woman said that when she gave them her name, they called her “Chamar” (a scheduled caste) and “neech log” (lower caste). She added that the men gave them rape threats and allegedly remarked, “We will (re-)create Manipur” (a reference to the sexual assault and rape of two Kuki women by a mob of Meitei men in May 2023).
One of the women told the news outlet that they went to the Sarswati Nagar police station to complain and asked the police to register an FIR against the Bajrang Dal for harassment, but the police allegedly refused to do so.
‘No Arrests’: Police
Alt News reached out to Daulat Ram Porte, Raipur Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), who confirmed that no arrests have been made in the matter. However, when we asked him if any religious conversion was being conducted there, he declined to comment and said the matter was being investigated. He also refused to comment on whether an FIR had been registered in the matter based on complaints by either party.
It should be noted that, just a few weeks before this incident, also in Chhattisgarh, Sisters Vandana Francis and Preethi Mary were arrested after Bajrang Dal members alleged that the nuns were involved in forceful conversions.
3. Balasore, Odisha
On August 6, a group of nuns and priests travelling in a car through Gangadhar village in Odisha’s Balasore district were stopped by 70 individuals. The latter alleged that the priests and nuns were involved in forced religious conversions.
A video of the incident was shared on X by Anti Christian Tracker Watch – ACT India (@ACTWatchIndia). The caption says that the nuns and priests were brutally assaulted. In the clip, a man in a torn shirt is seen at the 00:46-minute mark; he is the same person seen in the car, travelling with the priests and nuns. The police are also present at the scene.
Jaleshwar, Balasore, OD | 6 AUG’25
CATHOLIC NUNS AND PRIESTS returning from Requiem Mass ambushed by 70 Bajrang Dal goons — brutally assaulted, Bibles thrown, phones stolen, all on baseless ‘conversion’ claims. Police escorted the victims… attackers walked free. @hrw@USCIRFpic.twitter.com/092UohkZAD
— Anti Christian Tracker Watch – ACT India (@ACTWatchIndia) August 8, 2025
According to a report by the news agency Press Trust of India from August 8, the police officials said that some ‘locals’ had stopped the group of priests and nuns, who were later ‘rescued’ by the police. The report reiterated that the group suspected them of carrying out forceful religious conversions, but individuals ‘were not harmed in any manner’.
A report by India Today, from August 6, gave more details. According to this, two Catholic priests, a catechist (Bible teacher) and two nuns were returning from a memorial service under the Jaleswar parish in Balasore district. Among the priests, Father Lijo, the parish priest of St. Thomas Church in Jaleswar, was also present. The individuals had attended a Requiem Mass (a form of the Roman Catholic Mass used in funeral rites) and a fellowship meal in the area and were returning around 9 pm when they were stopped by a large mob who allegedly harassed, abused and assaulted them. The catechist, who was driving a motorcycle ahead of the car that carried the rest, was the first to be intercepted — he was allegedly dragged from his vehicle and beaten, followed by the priests and the nun, who were also manhandled. The report also said that while this unfolded, the villagers tried to step in and stop the attack and explain that they were there for a memorial service; however, the mob continued to accuse the priests and nuns of forced religious conversions.
Some of the nuns and priests in this case, too, were from Kerala. The incident prompted a strong statement from Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. On August 8, he posted on X that Christian priests and nuns were assaulted by ‘Sangh Parivaar goons’ (referring to far-Right Hindutva groups Rashtriya Swamsevak Sangh and the VHP).
Reports of an assault on Keralite Catholic priests & nuns by Sangh Parivar goons in Jaleswar, Odisha, on false charges of religious conversion, reflect the ongoing communal witch-hunt against Christians in the country, exemplified by the arrest of nuns in Chhattisgarh weeks ago.…
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) has alleged that apart from being assaulted and harassed by the mob, Father Lijo’s phone was taken away and the catechist’s motorcycle was damaged.
Alt News reached out to Dibakar Parichha, the public relations officer of Odisha Bishops’ Regional Council (OBRC), the Odisha wing of CBCI, who said that the mob that attacked the Christian priests and nuns included people from other villages. However, he said he was not sure if the group was specifically affiliated with any particular group. Parichha added that it is believed some members of Bajrang Dal were present there since that is the most radical group, which often causes hindrance for minorities.
While giving a run-down of the happenings of August 6, he said, “While Father Lijo, along with the catechist, nuns and another priest, were going to the location of the memorial service in Jaleswar church for someone who died, they noticed some people gathering in the area; however, nobody approached them on their way to the church. Later in the evening, while they were coming back, the mob, which was quite large, about 70-80 people, attacked them. They brutally beat up the catechist and attacked the car, which included Father Lijo, two nuns and another priest, snatched their mobile phones”.
He added that there has been a rise in attacks against the Christian communities in India, while also citing the recent case of the arrest of Sisters Preethi Mary and Vandana Francis in Chhattisgarh. Parichha mentioned that they have filed a complaint, and the police have accepted the FIR, but they have little hope that the police will take any action against the attackers.
Police Version
According to a report by TV9 Bharatvansh, after the police arrived, they took details of all those involved in the attack and let them go.
We reached out to Basta sub-divisional officer, Manas Deo, who said he was not aware of any such incident. “There hasn’t been a single complaint about any such case; it is hearsay”. When we told him that the CBCI said it filed a complaint, he said no complaints had been filed. He did say, however, that some priests and nuns had come to the area but that there was no conversion angle. He added that there was no violence or physical confrontation.
Alt News also reached out to the Basta PS inspector-in-charge Ranjit Sahu, who reiterated that there was no conversion angle. He said that he was not aware if the catechist, nuns and priests had faced any physical assault from the mob.
A Rise In Attacks Against Christians
The three incidents — in Sehore, Raipur and Balasore — point to a recurring pattern of increasing hostilities against Christian minorities and Hindutva groups taking it upon themselves to threaten and harass them. The Evangelical Fellowship of India’s Religious Liberty Commission (EFIRLC), in its 2024 annual report released in March, documented a sharp rise in attacks against Christian minorities. Out of more than 840 reported cases, the commission verified 640. This is up from 601 cases in 2023 and nearly four times the number recorded in 2014, when 147 incidents were reported.
At least three instances of Hindutva groups barging into gatherings and accusing those congregating of religious conversions have emerged so far in August. Videos from each of these instances — in Sehore, Madhya Pradesh, Raipur, Chhattisgarh and Balasore, Odisha — show pro-Right activists taking matters into their own hands, with little regard for law and thrceatening and harassing citizens.
These instances come after two Catholic nuns from Kerala and a man from Chhattisgarh were arrested in Durg, Chhattisgarh, last month, over allegations by members of the Bajrang Dal that they were coercing three tribal women into conversion and taking them to different parts of the country against their will. Videos even showed a woman associated with Durga Vahini, the women’s equivalent of Bajrang Dal, checking their documents and questioning them in police presence. The three tribal women and their families later clarified that they were already Christians and were travelling with the nuns willingly. The women also alleged that members of Hindutva groups linked to the Vishva Hindu Parishad slapped and touched them inappropriately. The nuns — Sisters Vandana Francis and Preethi Mary — and the man, Sukhman Mandavi, who was a cousin of one of the three women, were granted bail on August 2 after spending nearly a week in judicial custody.
Alt News documents the three cases in this report, which follow a similar narrative to what happened in Durg.
1. Sehore, Madhya Pradesh
On August 17, Instagram user @royal_kanha_dhangar posted a video showing men entering a house and recording those inside. The video also showed a Bible there. The post was in collaboration with the account of Bajrang Dal Sehore and had the watermark ‘Bajrang Dal Sehore’. The caption accompanying the video said, “…On Sunday, acting on information of a religious conversion racket in Sehore, police raided a house in Housing Board Colony. The information was first given to the police by Bajrang Dal workers… In this conversion racket, a police officer named Ahirwar was also involved…Those present at the spot, during questioning, expressed support for Christianity…”
In the background of the video, the official track of the Bajrang Dal by YouTube channel Vyshakh Achappa played on.
Alt News managed to locate a longer version of the above video without the added background music on Facebook, posted by a user named Jai Rai. In the video, which is over seven minutes long, the person recording it states that the house shown in the clip hosts prayer meetings where religious conversions happen every Sunday.
On entering the said house, the person recording says, “There is a whole system installed (referring to an audio player), there is ‘Kitaab-e-maqsad’ and Bible here”. The titles of two holy books appear at the 1:11-minute mark of the video. These are ‘Kitaab-e-mukhhas’, the Urdu name for the Holy Bible, and ‘Sampurn Adhyayan Bible’ or the complete study Bible. He then asks the man standing at the podium his name, why so many people were gathered there, which god they were praying to and if they were all Christians.
सीहोर नगर के हाउसिंग बोर्ड कॉलोनी में धर्मांतरण का बड़ा मामला
बजरंग दल के कार्यकर्ताओ द्वारा कार्यवाही
The man says his name is Jabbar Khan and the house belongs to him. He adds that those gathered were praying to god and had been meeting for two years. He adds that everyone present belonged to different religions and no one preached any particular religion; they gathered to talk about ‘Parmatma’ (God).
The person recording the video then asks individuals present there, including minors, their names and why they were listening to Khan reciting the Bible. He also asks if they converted to Christianity. None of the attendees indicated they were coerced.
At the 4:16-minute mark, one of the activists who barged in threatens one of the attendees, Biren Ahirwar, saying, “Chappal utaar ke maarunga” (Will hit you with my shoe).
Around the 6:36-minute mark, the situation becomes heated, and Biren Ahirwar gets into a verbal confrontation with the Bajrang Dal members outside the house. One of the activists tells Ahirwar, “Bheek mein saari cheez Hindu ke naam le liya, SC/ST ke naam, aur yahan tu maa ch*** raha hain” (You took everything as charity in the name of Hinduism and SC/ST, and here you are messing around [expletive]). Towards the end of the video, Bajrang Dal members are seen threatening the women and men inside.
We then found another video on Facebook showing police officials at the scene. As they escort Jabbar Khan out, one of the Bajrang Dal members calls him ‘Katua’ (a derogatory term for Muslim men) and says that he conducts religious conversions. The others also repeat that the people there were caught converting people and point out that Biren Ahirwar is a police official.
सीहोर में धर्मांतरण का बड़ा मामला आया सामने, घर में चल रहा धर्मांतरण का खेल, पुलिस पहुंची मौके पर, थाने पहुंचा मामला, बजरंग दल के कार्यकर्ता हुए जमा, कार्यवाही की उठी मांग
#sehore #ashta #ichavar #MadhyaPradesh #dharmantaran #babakhabrilal
Alt News reached out to a senior police officer at Sehore police station, who rubbished claims of religious conversion. “All those who were present in that room still hold their birth names; they have not converted to any other religion. They organise a prayer meet there every Sunday, and no one has complained about any forceful conversion. One of our police constables was also present in that room. We have registered the application from the complainants, and further investigation is being carried out. No one has been detained or arrested so far,” the police officer said.
2. Raipur, Chhattisgarh
According to a video shared by news outlet Maktoob on August 15, a group of VHP-Bajrang Dal members stormed into the Jehovah Nissi Church in Raipur and claimed religious conversions were taking place there. “They vandalised the church, attacked Christians who resisted, and chanted the Hanuman Chalisa while demanding action against those accused of conversion,” the caption read. In the video, some policemen are seen standing between a mob of men in saffron shirts and bandanas and another group of people. The mob also sloganeers for Bajrang Dal in the clip.
A group of VHP-Bajrang Dal members stormed the Jehovah Nissi Church in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, claiming religious conversions were happening. They vandalized the church, attacked Christians who resisted, and chanted the Hanuman Chalisa while demanding action against those accused of conversion.
Taking a cue from this, we ran a relevant keyword search in Hindi, which led us to a YouTube video by Zee Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh from August 10. In the video, the anchor speaks to one of the Bajrang Dal activists at the site, who claims they received information that women were being given Rs 200 per day to hold prayer meetings, which caused locals to be angry. “If not conducting religious conversions, then what else can they be doing in a closed room?” he asks.
At the 11:01-minute mark of the video report, a minor girl tells the channel that the house, where religious conversions were allegedly happening, would play loud music even when the neighbours would urge them not to owing to kids’ exams. She adds that she and a few others were allegedly approached by some women who said, “You will get money if you join us, get rid of Hinduism”. Others chimed in that these people were brainwashing children.
The report said that police have detained the women who were allegedly involved in religious conversions.
Christian Women Accuse Bajrang Dal of Harassment
Another video, from the same area and the same day, taken from a different angle, is circulating on social media. Here, Bajrang Dal members are seen making obscene gestures. A video by Mirror Chhattisgarh shows a journalist interviewing the Christian women, who claim they were sexually harassed by Bajrang Dal members. Before the women are interviewed, the channel plays a clip from the day of the incident, where a man from the Hindutva mob makes obscene gestures at the women. Another man is also seen making lewd hand gestures despite police presence.
During the interview, the women alleged that Bajrang Dal members pulled their clothes and touched their breasts. They claimed that the Hindutva activists also asked them, “Would you come with me for Rs 200-300?” (implying sex work). Another woman said that when she gave them her name, they called her “Chamar” (a scheduled caste) and “neech log” (lower caste). She added that the men gave them rape threats and allegedly remarked, “We will (re-)create Manipur” (a reference to the sexual assault and rape of two Kuki women by a mob of Meitei men in May 2023).
One of the women told the news outlet that they went to the Sarswati Nagar police station to complain and asked the police to register an FIR against the Bajrang Dal for harassment, but the police allegedly refused to do so.
‘No Arrests’: Police
Alt News reached out to Daulat Ram Porte, Raipur Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), who confirmed that no arrests have been made in the matter. However, when we asked him if any religious conversion was being conducted there, he declined to comment and said the matter was being investigated. He also refused to comment on whether an FIR had been registered in the matter based on complaints by either party.
It should be noted that, just a few weeks before this incident, also in Chhattisgarh, Sisters Vandana Francis and Preethi Mary were arrested after Bajrang Dal members alleged that the nuns were involved in forceful conversions.
3. Balasore, Odisha
On August 6, a group of nuns and priests travelling in a car through Gangadhar village in Odisha’s Balasore district were stopped by 70 individuals. The latter alleged that the priests and nuns were involved in forced religious conversions.
A video of the incident was shared on X by Anti Christian Tracker Watch – ACT India (@ACTWatchIndia). The caption says that the nuns and priests were brutally assaulted. In the clip, a man in a torn shirt is seen at the 00:46-minute mark; he is the same person seen in the car, travelling with the priests and nuns. The police are also present at the scene.
Jaleshwar, Balasore, OD | 6 AUG’25
CATHOLIC NUNS AND PRIESTS returning from Requiem Mass ambushed by 70 Bajrang Dal goons — brutally assaulted, Bibles thrown, phones stolen, all on baseless ‘conversion’ claims. Police escorted the victims… attackers walked free. @hrw@USCIRFpic.twitter.com/092UohkZAD
— Anti Christian Tracker Watch – ACT India (@ACTWatchIndia) August 8, 2025
According to a report by the news agency Press Trust of India from August 8, the police officials said that some ‘locals’ had stopped the group of priests and nuns, who were later ‘rescued’ by the police. The report reiterated that the group suspected them of carrying out forceful religious conversions, but individuals ‘were not harmed in any manner’.
A report by India Today, from August 6, gave more details. According to this, two Catholic priests, a catechist (Bible teacher) and two nuns were returning from a memorial service under the Jaleswar parish in Balasore district. Among the priests, Father Lijo, the parish priest of St. Thomas Church in Jaleswar, was also present. The individuals had attended a Requiem Mass (a form of the Roman Catholic Mass used in funeral rites) and a fellowship meal in the area and were returning around 9 pm when they were stopped by a large mob who allegedly harassed, abused and assaulted them. The catechist, who was driving a motorcycle ahead of the car that carried the rest, was the first to be intercepted — he was allegedly dragged from his vehicle and beaten, followed by the priests and the nun, who were also manhandled. The report also said that while this unfolded, the villagers tried to step in and stop the attack and explain that they were there for a memorial service; however, the mob continued to accuse the priests and nuns of forced religious conversions.
Some of the nuns and priests in this case, too, were from Kerala. The incident prompted a strong statement from Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. On August 8, he posted on X that Christian priests and nuns were assaulted by ‘Sangh Parivaar goons’ (referring to far-Right Hindutva groups Rashtriya Swamsevak Sangh and the VHP).
Reports of an assault on Keralite Catholic priests & nuns by Sangh Parivar goons in Jaleswar, Odisha, on false charges of religious conversion, reflect the ongoing communal witch-hunt against Christians in the country, exemplified by the arrest of nuns in Chhattisgarh weeks ago.…
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) has alleged that apart from being assaulted and harassed by the mob, Father Lijo’s phone was taken away and the catechist’s motorcycle was damaged.
Alt News reached out to Dibakar Parichha, the public relations officer of Odisha Bishops’ Regional Council (OBRC), the Odisha wing of CBCI, who said that the mob that attacked the Christian priests and nuns included people from other villages. However, he said he was not sure if the group was specifically affiliated with any particular group. Parichha added that it is believed some members of Bajrang Dal were present there since that is the most radical group, which often causes hindrance for minorities.
While giving a run-down of the happenings of August 6, he said, “While Father Lijo, along with the catechist, nuns and another priest, were going to the location of the memorial service in Jaleswar church for someone who died, they noticed some people gathering in the area; however, nobody approached them on their way to the church. Later in the evening, while they were coming back, the mob, which was quite large, about 70-80 people, attacked them. They brutally beat up the catechist and attacked the car, which included Father Lijo, two nuns and another priest, snatched their mobile phones”.
He added that there has been a rise in attacks against the Christian communities in India, while also citing the recent case of the arrest of Sisters Preethi Mary and Vandana Francis in Chhattisgarh. Parichha mentioned that they have filed a complaint, and the police have accepted the FIR, but they have little hope that the police will take any action against the attackers.
Police Version
According to a report by TV9 Bharatvansh, after the police arrived, they took details of all those involved in the attack and let them go.
We reached out to Basta sub-divisional officer, Manas Deo, who said he was not aware of any such incident. “There hasn’t been a single complaint about any such case; it is hearsay”. When we told him that the CBCI said it filed a complaint, he said no complaints had been filed. He did say, however, that some priests and nuns had come to the area but that there was no conversion angle. He added that there was no violence or physical confrontation.
Alt News also reached out to the Basta PS inspector-in-charge Ranjit Sahu, who reiterated that there was no conversion angle. He said that he was not aware if the catechist, nuns and priests had faced any physical assault from the mob.
A Rise In Attacks Against Christians
The three incidents — in Sehore, Raipur and Balasore — point to a recurring pattern of increasing hostilities against Christian minorities and Hindutva groups taking it upon themselves to threaten and harass them. The Evangelical Fellowship of India’s Religious Liberty Commission (EFIRLC), in its 2024 annual report released in March, documented a sharp rise in attacks against Christian minorities. Out of more than 840 reported cases, the commission verified 640. This is up from 601 cases in 2023 and nearly four times the number recorded in 2014, when 147 incidents were reported.
The Committee to Protect Journalists and Free Press led a coalition of local and national civil society and press freedom organizations in a Thursday letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) expressing alarm about the continued detention of journalist Mario Guevara.
Guevara, a Spanish-language digital reporter, has been in detention for two months after his June 14 arrest while livestreaming a protest in an Atlanta, Georgia suburb. He was transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody after the agency issued a detainer against the journalist, who has authorization to work in the United States.
All misdemeanor charges against Guevara have been dropped, and a federal immigration judge granted the journalist bond on July 1. Yet Guevara remains in detention at Georgia’s Folkston ICE Processing Center after having been shuffled around five different local and federal detention facilities across the state.
CPJ sent a previous letter to DHS on June 20 and did not receive a response.
A video of a young man holding a schoolgirl at knifepoint as she pleads with him in Marathi was widely shared on social media with communal claims that the perpetrator, a Muslim, was threatening the girl after his attempts at enticing her into ‘love jihad’ failed. In the video, the girl says in Marathi, “I am not interested in you, let me go”.
‘Love jihad’ is a conspiracy theory believed by many hardliner Hindus, according to which Muslim men seduce Hindu women and coerce them to convert to Islam. Meanwhile, passers-by manage to save the girl and beat the man.
X handle ‘Mahaveer_VJ’, a user often found spreading communal misinformation, shared the video, calling it an incident from Maharashtra where a “jihadi” was killed while trying to slit the throat of a schoolgirl with a knife because he was unable to trap her in ‘love jihad’. The caption reads, “Keep an eye on jihadi mullahs (pejorative term for Muslims). Warn your sisters and daughters.”
Maharashtra incident.
Jihadi killed while trying to slit the throat of a school girl with a knife after failing in his attempt to trap her in love jihad.
X user ‘@Akhand_Bharat_S‘, which has also been found spreading communal misinformation on several occasions, shared the video with similar claims. The user blamed the Congress government for introducing the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act in 2010, enabling large-scale conversions with foreign funding.
भारत में बड़े पैमाने पर धर्मान्तरण, लव जिहाद हो रहा है इसका मूल कारण है
विदेशी फंडिंग
इस Funding के लिए कांग्रेस ने 2010 में FCRA कानून बनाया था।
FCRA खत्म होना बहुत जरूरी हो गया है।
Bharat में Love_jihad विकराल रूप ले रहा है, महाराष्ट्र की घटना स्कूल की लड़की को… pic.twitter.com/y1T52pm77L
— अखण्ड भारत संकल्प (@Akhand_Bharat_S) July 25, 2025
Alt News performed a reverse image search using key frames from the viral video. This led us to a report by Aaj Tak from July 22, 2025. The article featured the same video and said that on July 21, around 4 PM, a youth named Aryan Waghmale held a minor girl at knifepoint in the Basappa Peth area of Satara city in Maharashtra. Soon, bystanders managed to rescue her and thrashed the man.
In addition, the report said that according to Satara Superintendent of Police Tushar Doshi, a case had been registered against accused, Aryan Waghmale, at the Shahupuri police station under the POCSO and Arms Acts on charges of molestation and intent to cause harm. It was also said to be a case of “one-sided love”. However, the report does not mention that the bystanders killed the youth.
A Hindustan Times report covering the incident said, “According to the police, the accused Aryan Waghmale, threatened a girl returning home from school at knifepoint in the Basappa Peth Karanje area and tried to thwart locals trying to help her by brandishing the weapon at them. Some passersby, with the help of two off-duty policemen nearby, intervened and stopped the attack.” It also mentioned that the accused was taken into custody.
As is evident, the accused, Aryan Waghmale, is not Muslim. He threatened a minor girl at knifepoint and a video of the incident was shared with misleading communal claims and ‘love jihad’ controversies.
On several occasions, Alt News found that videos of unrelated persons or incidents have been misused to target a particular community with communal claims.
As immigration raids and arrests continue to terrorize communities across the United States, we look at grassroots efforts to fight back. ICE has faced widespread backlash over the arrest of community advocates swept up while documenting raids across the country, many of them U.S. citizens. In Los Angeles, nurse and community activist Amanda Trebach was released from federal custody this weekend without criminal charges, after she was violently arrested early Friday morning while recording the operations of federal immigration agents in the area. Trebach, who is part of the community group Unión del Barrio, was released Saturday after intense community pressure.
“This is just another example of the Trump administration and their fascist ICE agents — or whoever they are, because they’re unidentified — violating the rights and breaking the law that they’re supposed to protect,” says Ron Gochez, an organizer with Unión del Barrio.
This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Former Amazon Labor Union President Chris Smalls joins us for one of his first interviews since he returned to the United States after he was beaten, arrested and detained by the Israeli military for attempting to bring aid to starving Palestinians in Gaza. Smalls calls Israel’s assault and starvation of Gaza a “working-class issue,” and was the only Black member of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s latest attempt to break Israel’s near-total blockade of Gaza. He describes his assault by Israeli soldiers, who “attacked me out of the 21 volunteers because of the color of my skin.” Smalls was later one of the last to be released from Israel’s Givon Prison, where he contracted scabies. “I can tell you right now, from my own experience, that Palestinians and people of color are not safe amongst the Israeli government,” he says.
This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
We get an update from the occupied West Bank, where U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson led a delegation to an illegal settlement amid escalating settler violence against Palestinians. Israel is refusing to release the body of Palestinian activist Odeh Hadalin, who was shot to death by an Israeli settler a week ago. Eyewitness Ty Kavanaugh, a former U.S. Navy medic who is volunteering with Palestinian health organizations in the occupied West Bank, says Israeli soldiers worked with settlers, including the shooter, to identify both Palestinian villagers and international allies to arrest in the aftermath of the shooting. “It seemed like they were trying to pen everybody in just to antagonize people. They want them to throw rocks. … And they were trying to find excuses to arrest international observers or volunteers or the people who happened to be there,” says Kavanaugh. Multiple members of Hadalin’s family continue to languish in jail, even as the shooter, Yinon Levi, has been released from house arrest and now walks free. Levi owns both an illegal farming outpost in the West Bank and a demolition company that contracts with the Israeli military. “This is not [a] random attack … This is a state policy,” says Basel Adra, a close friend of Hadalin’s who worked with him on the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land. He remembers Hadalin as a “voice of the community” who dedicated his life to advocating for Palestinian rights and existence.
This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
On March 5, 2025, in a crowded Dhaka courtroom, journalist Farzana Rupa stood without a lawyer as a judge moved to register yet another murder case against her. Already in jail, she quietly asked for bail. The judge said the hearing was only procedural.
“There are already a dozen cases piling up against me,” she said. “I’m a journalist. One murder case is enough to frame me.”
Rupa, a former chief correspondent at privately owned broadcaster Ekattor TV, now faces nine murder cases. Her husband, Shakil Ahmed, the channel’s former head of news, is named in eight.
A year ago, Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge of Bangladesh’s interim government after Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country following weeks of student-led protests, during which two journalists were killed.
Yunus promised media reform and repealed the Cyber Security Act, a law used to target journalists under Hasina. But in a November 2024 interview with newspaper The Daily Star, Yunus said that murder accusations against journalists were being made hastily. He said the government had since halted such actions and that a committee had been formed to review the cases.
Still, nearly a year later, Rupa, Ahmed, Shyamal Dutta and Mozammel Haque Babu, arrested on accusations of instigating murders in separate cases, remain behind bars. The repeated use of such charges against journalists who are widely seen as sympathetic to the former regime appear to be politically motivated censorship.
In addition to such legal charges, CPJ has documented physical attacks against journalists, threats from political activists, and exile. At least 25 journalists are under investigation for genocide by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal – a charge that has been used to target figures linked to the former Hasina government.
“Keeping four journalists behind bars without credible evidence a year on undermines the interim government’s stated commitment to protect press freedom,” said CPJ Regional Director Beh Lih Yi. “Real reform means breaking from the past, not replicating its abuses. All political parties must respect journalists’ right to report as the country is set for polls in coming months.”
A CPJ review of legal documents and reports found that journalists are often added to First Information Reports (FIRs) – documents that open an investigation – long after they are filed. In May, UN experts raised concern that over 140 journalists had been charged with murder following last year’s protests.
Shyamal Dutta’s daughter, Shashi, told CPJ the family has lost track of how many cases he now faces. They are aware of at least six murder cases in which he is named, while Babu’s family is aware of 10. Rupa and Ahmed’s family told CPJ that they haven’t received FIRs for five cases in which one or the other journalist has been named, which means that neither can apply for bail.
Shafiqul Alam, Yunus’s press secretary, and police spokesperson Enamul Haque Sagor did not respond to CPJ’s emailed request for comment.
Violence and threats
In 2025, reporters across Bangladesh have faced violence and harassment while covering political events, with CPJ documenting at least 10 such incidents, most of which were carried out by members or affiliates of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its student wing, Chhatra Dal. In several instances, journalists sustained serious injuries or were prevented from reporting after footage was deleted or phones seized, including Bahar Raihan, Abdullah Al Mahmud, and Rocky Hossain.
Responding to the allegations, Mahdi Amin, adviser to Acting BNP Chair Tarique Rahman, told CPJ that while isolated misconduct may occur in a party of BNP’s size, the party does not protect wrongdoers.
Others have faced threats from supporters of different political parties and the studentgroups that led the protests against Hasina. Reporters covering opposition groups like Jamaat-e-Islami or its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, have come under particular pressure. On June 9, Hasanat Kamal, editor of EyeNews.news, told CPJ he’d fled to the United Kingdom after being falsely accused byIslami Chhatra Shibir of participating in a violent student protest. Anwar Hossain, a journalist for the local daily Dabanol, told CPJ he’d been threatened by Jamaat supporters after publishing negative reports about a local party leader.
CPJ reached out via messaging app to Abdus Sattar Sumon, a spokesperson for Jamaat-e-Islami, but received no response.
Since Hasina’s ouster, student protesters from the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement (ADSM) have increasinglytargetedjournaliststhey accuse of supporting the former regime, which in one case led to the firing of five journalists. Student-led mobs have also besieged outlets like Prothom Alo and The Daily Star.
CPJ reached out via messaging app to ADSM leader Rifat Rashid but received no response.
On July 14, exiled investigative journalist Zulkarnain Saer Khan, who fled Bangladesh after exposing alleged high-level corruption under Hasina and receiving threats from Awami League officials, posted on X about the repression of the media: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”
This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Kunal Majumder/CPJ India Representative.
New Delhi, August 1, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges the chief minister of the western state of Maharashtra to take immediate action to protect Indian journalist Sneha Barve, who received fresh death threats on July 24, three weeks after a brutal assault.
“It is outrageous that journalist Sneha Barve, who was nearly killed for exposing wrongdoing, has been threatened once again, while the main suspect in her assault walks free,” said Kunāl Majumder, CPJ’s India representative. “Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis must urgently guarantee Sneha Barve’s safety to send a clear message that attacks on the press will not be tolerated and ensure those responsible are swiftly prosecuted.”
Barve told CPJ that on July 24, Prashant Pandurang Morde – who was arrested for his role in the earlier attack on the journalist – accosted her outside her office in the town of Manchar and threatened her, saying, “This time, we should finish the matter for good.”
On July 4, Barve, founder of the Samarth Bharat Pariwar YouTube-based news channel, was attacked by a group of men while reporting on alleged illegal construction on disputed land in Manchar, Pune district. A video of the attack shows a man striking Barwe with a wooden rod before she loses consciousness.
The man accused of wielding the rod, Pandurang Sakharam Morde, a businessman with alleged political connections, was named in the First Information Report opening the investigation, but has not been arrested.
On July 18, Prashant Morde, son of Pandurang Sakharam Morde, went to Barve’s father’s office and threatened to harm the entire family, the journalist told CPJ. In a complaint to police, reviewed by CPJ, Barve said the three suspects had been collecting information about her family and requested police protection.
CPJ’s WhatsApp messages requesting comment from Fadnavis’ media advisor, Ketan Pathak, did not receive any reply. Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Gill told CPJ by WhatsApp that he would reply, but did not immediately respond to queries. CPJ was unable to immediately source contact information for Morde.
New Delhi, August 1, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges the chief minister of the western state of Maharashtra to take immediate action to protect Indian journalist Sneha Barve, who received fresh death threats on July 24, three weeks after a brutal assault.
“It is outrageous that journalist Sneha Barve, who was nearly killed for exposing wrongdoing, has been threatened once again, while the main suspect in her assault walks free,” said Kunāl Majumder, CPJ’s India representative. “Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis must urgently guarantee Sneha Barve’s safety to send a clear message that attacks on the press will not be tolerated and ensure those responsible are swiftly prosecuted.”
Barve told CPJ that on July 24, Prashant Pandurang Morde – who was arrested for his role in the earlier attack on the journalist – accosted her outside her office in the town of Manchar and threatened her, saying, “This time, we should finish the matter for good.”
On July 4, Barve, founder of the Samarth Bharat Pariwar YouTube-based news channel, was attacked by a group of men while reporting on alleged illegal construction on disputed land in Manchar, Pune district. A video of the attack shows a man striking Barwe with a wooden rod before she loses consciousness.
The man accused of wielding the rod, Pandurang Sakharam Morde, a businessman with alleged political connections, was named in the First Information Report opening the investigation, but has not been arrested.
On July 18, Prashant Morde, son of Pandurang Sakharam Morde, went to Barve’s father’s office and threatened to harm the entire family, the journalist told CPJ. In a complaint to police, reviewed by CPJ, Barve said the three suspects had been collecting information about her family and requested police protection.
CPJ’s WhatsApp messages requesting comment from Fadnavis’ media advisor, Ketan Pathak, did not receive any reply. Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Gill told CPJ by WhatsApp that he would reply, but did not immediately respond to queries. CPJ was unable to immediately source contact information for Morde.
A major rift has formed within Donald Trump’s MAGA base over his reversal of a campaign promise to release the “Epstein files” to the public. Many supporters see his denials of the existence of a “client list” belonging to Jeffrey Epstein, the powerful and well-connected investor who was charged with the sexual trafficking and assault of numerous teenage girls and young women before his death, as a betrayal of Trump’s promises to “drain the swamp” and expose what many supporters believe is proof of criminal corruption among primarily Democratic “elites.” Trump’s insistence that his supporters drop their fixation on Epstein-related “conspiracy theories that his people have long nurtured” is “making it exceedingly difficult for some of his biggest supporters and boosters to not start at least suspecting that he has something to hide,” says Rolling Stone's Asawin Suebsaeng, who has been reporting on the fallout from Trump and his Attorney General Pam Bondi's handling of the Epstein case.
This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
A video of Lok Sabha member Rajesh Ranjan, also known as Pappu Yadav, breaking into tears is being widely shared on social media. In the video, a crying Yadav, sitting in a car, says, “Humpe hamla kiya gaya hai” (I have been attacked). At this point, a reporter asks what happened, to which Yadav replies, “Sir ye ladne ke liye jaa rahe thhe. Jis tareeke se maara main bata nahi sakta…” (These people were going there to fight. The way they have beaten, I can’t describe it.).
The video went viral after many claimed that Congress leaders Pappu Yadav and Kanhaiya Kumar were snubbed at a rally in Bihar on July 9. The two were reportedly stopped by security personnel from joining Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav in his vehicle. Yadav later clarified that it was not an ‘insult’ but part of security protocols.
— Shehzad Jai Hind (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Shehzad_Ind) July 9, 2025
Several other users on X, such as @krazyxuser, @voice_of_hindu2 and @PNRai1, among others, also shared the video with similar comments. (Archives: 1, 2, 3)
To verify the authenticity of the narratives amplified on social media, we broke down the viral video into key frames and did a reverse image search on some of them. This led us to an article published by Zee News on September 6, 2018.
On September 6, 2018, Congress leader Pappu Yadav was attacked by Bharat Bandh supporters in the Sadar area of Khabra village, in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. He alleged that a group of demonstrators stopped his car, questioned him and the others in his vehicle, enquiring about their caste, and then went on to abuse and physically assault them. At the time, too, the video of Yadav in tears over the incident was viral.
Yadav had also posted about the incident on X in 2018. The translated text reads: “Duringthe#SaveWomenMarchinMadhubani,ourconvoywasattackedbygoonsinthenameof#BharatBandh,andworkerswerebrutallybeatenwhilebeingaskedabouttheircaste.IsthereanygovernanceinBihar,ornot!”
#महाजंगलराज का नंगा नाच#नारी_बचाओ_पदयात्रा में मधुबनी जाने के दौरान हमारे काफिले पर #BharatBandh के नाम पर गुंडों ने हमला किया,कार्यकर्ताओं को बुरी तरह जाति पूछ-पूछकर पीटा है। आखिर बिहार में कोई शासन-प्रशासन है, या, नहीं!CM @NitishKumar आप किस कुम्भकर्णी नींद में सोये हैं।
We also found a longer version from which the now-viral clip was extracted. It was uploaded on September 6, 2018.
In this video, Pappu Yadav says that he was abused by the attackers, who may have even killed him if the guards weren’t around. He also claims that his phone calls to the police and chief minister went unanswered. After that, he breaks down in front of the cameras. The portion that is now viral begins around the 0:31-minute mark.
Thus, the video showing Pappu Yadav in tears while speaking to reporters is not recent, but from 2018.
Incidents of violence by so-called cow protection groups affiliated to Hindutva outfits have been on the rise in several north Indian states. Now, one such incident has come to light from the Ganjam district of Odisha where two Dalit men were brutally tortured on false charges of cow smuggling. They were allegedly beaten up, half tonsured, and forced to eat grass and drink sewer water.
According to a report by the Indian Express, victims Bulu Nayak (52) and Babul Nayak (43), residents of Singipur village in Sanakhemundi Tehsil in Ganjam District, had bought a cow and two calves from Haripur to be given as dowry in a family wedding. While they were taking the cattle to their village in a tempo rickshaw, a group of locals stopped them.
The group accused them of illegally transporting the cows, and snatched their mobile phones and money. They allegedly demanded Rs 30,000 to release the animals. When the duo refused, the group tied their hands and legs and brutally assaulted them. Next, they were taken to a local salon where parts of their heads were shaved. They were then made to walk on their knees for about two kilometres to Jahada village where they were allegedly forced to eat grass and drink water from a drain.
The incident took place in broad daylight on June 22, 2025 at Kharigumma village under Dharakot block in Ganjam district. Both the victims somehow managed to escape from the spot and were provided first aid at a local hospital, after which they lodged a complaint with the Dharakote Police.
After photos and videos of the incident went viral on social media, several social media users, including social activists and politicians, started sharing the visuals and demanding the arrest of the accused and that appropriate action be taken against them.
A case has been registered under relevant sections of BNS and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
During investigation, 8 accused persons have been arrested and one CICL apprehended. All were forwarded to the Hon’ble court. (2/2) pic.twitter.com/LxUFlKkrSX
On June 26, the police reported that the main accused in the incident had been arrested A local news portal carried the names of the accused arrested in the case in a report dated June 25. They were identified as Sibashankar Mohanty, Satya Sahu, Bainath Bisoi, Om Gowda, Ganapati Palei, Santosh Dakua, Shankar Das, and Narayan Dakua and a minor.
Another report published on July 3 stated that a total of 16 people had been arrested in the case so far.
Alarming Increase in Cow-Vigilantism Violence
It is pertinent to note that cases of violence related to cow-vigilantism have skyrocketed in the recent past. From 2016 to 2020, lynching or mob violence following suspected cow slaughter or trade has claimed at least 50 lives, according to a report by ACLED, an independent non-profit organisation that tracks and analyses data on violent conflict and protest across all countries and regions.
ACLED recorded a sharp increase in the number of incidents of political violence related to the protection of cows in India in 2018. Compared to 2016, incidents of political violence related to cow protection increased by more than 40% in 2017 and almost doubled in 2018, with this increase in violence coinciding with the establishment of BJP-led governments in several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Jharkhand.
The report further revealed that more than 80% of reported incidents of cow protection-related violence were carried out against civilians. The victims of these attacks were usually those involved in the cattle trade and individuals belonging to minority groups, including Muslims, Dalits or Adivasi communities.
New Delhi, July 10, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for greater transparency and due process in how Indian authorities handle social media restrictions, following reports of the temporary block of multiple international news organizations’ X accounts over the weekend. X accused the Indian government of censoring the press.
“This incident once again underscores the serious lack of transparency and accountability in how the Indian government issues and enforces orders for the removal of social media content and the blocking of accounts,” said Kunāl Majumder, CPJ’s India representative. “Any action affecting journalists or news organizations must be based on clear legal grounds, be subject to independent judicial oversight, and not infringe on press freedom. India still lacks a credible mechanism to review or challenge these opaque and arbitrary orders.”
On July 5, two of Reuters’ handles, @Reuters and @ReutersWorld, were blocked, with X saying the accounts were obstructed “due to legal demands.” Severalreports also suggest that accounts of Turkish broadcaster TRT World and the Chinese state media outlet Global Times were censored. The accounts were restored the next day. A government official speaking on condition of anonymity told CPJ that the authorities had not issued any orders to block the accounts and that they were engaging with X to get them restored.
However, in a July 8 post, X countered the Indian claim and said that on July 3, the Indian authorities had ordered the platform to block 2,355 accounts. X also expressed concerns about “ongoing press censorship in India due to these blocking orders.” X has already sued the Indian government over a new official portal that it says grants “countless” government officials expanded powers to issue takedown orders.
The Indian government denied issuing any recent blocking order against Reuters and others and said the accounts were unintentionally restricted due to a previously issued directive that was part of broader digital enforcement measuresimplemented in the wake of heightened national security concerns.
Authorities said they’d asked X to restore access immediately and blamed a 21-hour delay on the platform for the continued impediment.
In May 2025, X expressed concern about the Indian government’s demand to block over 8,000 accounts, and asked for such executive orders to made public.
X and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology did not reply to CPJ’s emails seeking comment.
After defence ministers representing their countries at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) were unable to adopt a joint statement at the end of their talks on June 26, several rumours regarding the meeting were viral on social media. One of the viral claims is that Russia signed a joint SCO statement supporting Pakistan. Another claim suggested that a closed-door meeting was carried out without India.
Formed in 2001, the SCO is a grouping of 10 countries including China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and Iran. The defence ministers’ meeting took place in China’s Qingdao ahead of the upcoming annual summit.
On June 29, X user @TheDailyCPEC claimed that Russia had signed the joint SCO statement. At the time of this article being written, the post had a million views. (Archive)
BREAKING: Russia has officially signed the joint SCO statement, supporting Pakistan’s position over India. pic.twitter.com/GHGxmH5cA4
We also found an Instagram post, which made similar claims. The caption reads, “A high-level NSA meeting is scheduled among China, Iran, Russia, and Pakistan under the SCO framework, but India has not been invited.”
According to several media reports, the SCO joint statement was not adopted because Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh refused to endorse it as it did not mention the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 civilians were shot dead by terrorists. India has blamed Pakistan for sheltering terrorist factions responsible for the attack. Pakistan has denied the allegations.
According to Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson from the Ministry of External Affairs, a joint statement was not adopted at the SCO. “Certain member countries could not reach consensus on certain issues, and hence, the document could not be finalised… India wanted concerns and terrorism reflected in the document, which was not acceptable to one particular country.”
We found no news reports mentioning any other country, such as Russia, signing the SCO document.
We then looked at the SCO charter available on the site of India’s Ministry of External Affairs. Article 16 on the procedures on taking decisions says that SCO decisions are taken by agreement without voting as long as no member objects. It says:
“The SCO bodies shall take decisions by agreement without vote and their decisions shall be considered adopted if no member State has raised objections during its consideration (consensus), except for the decisions on suspension of membership or expulsion from the Organization that shall be taken by “consensus minus one vote of the member State concerned.”
This meant that SCO statements are adopted by unanimous consensus. But to be sure, we also reached out to a journalist who has covered diplomatic and strategic affairs for over a decade to understand how countries adopt statements at the SCO. This journalist, who did not wish to be identified, clarified that the “signing” on the draft statement is only if all members agree to adopt it, which was not the case in this SCO defence ministers’ meeting. So, if one member state does not agree, there is no way that some member states sign the document and others do not. It is either adopted as a whole by all or it’s not, he reiterated.
So, the claim that Russia ‘signed’ the joint SCO statement supporting Pakistan’s position over India is not true.
Also, the SCO published a report on the defence ministers’ meet on June 26 in which Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh can also be seen among the representatives of the invited nations. This debunks the claim that there was a closed-door SCO meeting at which India was not invited.
To sum up, the viral claims that India was not invited to a closed-door SCO meeting or that Russia signed a joint SCO statement favouring Pakistan are baseless.
Jaleshwar, Balasore, OD | 6 AUG’25
(@ACTWatchIndia) 
विदेशी फंडिंग
BREAKING: Russia has officially signed the joint SCO statement, supporting Pakistan’s position over India. 
