Church vandalised in Odisha over allegations of sexual assault

A mob vandalised a church in a village in Odisha’s Keonjhar district, alleging that a visually impaired girl had become pregnant after being sexually assaulted months ago by a man from the Christian community.

The incident occurred in Murgagoth village under Anandpur police station on Monday (April 6, 2026). “The victim and the accused belong to the same village. The girl’s distant uncle, who is alleged to have committed the crime, is currently working in Tamil Nadu. Villagers came to know about the pregnancy only recently. Early on Monday (April 6, 2026) morning, when no one was inside the church, some miscreants took out chairs and an almirah and set them on fire,” said Kamal Panda, Sub-Divisional Police Officer, Keonjhar.

Mr. Panda said the village, comprising around 85 households, is almost evenly divided between Hindu and Christian residents.

“The case of sexual assault had not been reported to the police earlier. However, villagers have now approached the police to file a complaint regarding the pregnancy resulting from the alleged rape,” he said.

Police said the area is communally sensitive and are maintaining close vigil to prevent any escalation into wider violence.

Since the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in Odisha in June 2024, 54 communal riots and seven cases of mob lynching have been reported. This was stated by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who also holds the Home portfolio, during the recently concluded budget session of the Odisha Legislative Assembly. Police have arrested 298 people in connection with communal riot cases and 61 individuals for their alleged involvement in mob lynching incidents.

According to a White Paper on law and order tabled in the Assembly last month, 122 incidents of communal violence involving Hindu, Muslim and Christian communities were reported in 2025. Of these, 106 involved Hindu and Muslim groups, while 16 cases involved Hindu and Christian communities.