In response to incidents of alleged minority persecution targeting Christians in West Bengal , the Bangiya Christiya Pariseba (BCP) organised a mega prayer rally Thursday at Rani Rashmoni Avenue in Kolkata ’s Esplanade, attracting attendees from across the state and beyond.

BCP represents more than 1.3 million Catholics and non-Catholics in West Bengal. BCP functionaries, Christian religious leaders from other denominations in the state, and those from Odisha, Nagaland, Mizoram, and others attended the meet.

Addressing the crowd, Herod Mullick, the organisation’s founding state secretary, said, “Christians in the state are in an unprecedented crisis. The past 5 months have witnessed incidents of threats, vandalism, and violence against Christian prayer meetings.”

He said that although the official count of such alleged incidents in West Bengal is 48, “unofficial figures suggest a higher number”.…