An incident in Raghunathpur, under Ghatal’s Block 1, has triggered outrage after Hindu monk Hiranmoy Goswami Maharaj was brutally assaulted on Monday evening.

Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari condemned the attack and demanded immediate arrest of miscreants. Police said that a group of miscreants attacked the monk and shaved his head, beard, and matted locks, creating panic in the area. The incident took place after Maharaj had been invited to the residence of a prominent family, owned by Shaktipada Manna, in Raghunathpur. The monk, associated with an ashram in Tamluk was there for a few days to conduct Bhagavad Gita recitations and partake in devotional events. On Monday evening, after concluding a session, Maharaj and a disciple went out for a stroll when the attack occurred. Reports suggest that the assailants not only beat the monk but also cut off his locks and beard before abandoning him in a distressed state. His disciple, overwhelmed by fear, was unable to react immediately.

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As darkness fell, the usually quiet village saw an alarming turn of events. Concerned about his absence, Shaktipada Manna’s family began searching for him and eventually found him lying injured on a village road. He was rushed to a rural hospital and later transferred to Ghatal Sub-Divisional Hospital for further treatment.

Upon hearing the news, local BJP MLA Shital Kapat visited Maharaj in the hospital. Subsequently, with the intervention of Leader of Opposition, the monk was shifted to a private hospital in Kolkata for advanced medical care. However, no formal police complaint has been lodged yet. BJP leader Shital Kapat stated: “We are still unsure, who carried out this attack. Maharaj is unwilling to file a police complaint. I personally do not believe this was politically motivated; it may have been an act of personal vengeance.” He also mentioned that Hiranmoy Maharaj had contacted him a few days prior, seeking assistance in reaching out to Suvendu Adhikari, which has now raised further questions about the timing of the attack. Notably, Maharaj is usually provided with police protection, including an armed escort and a civic volunteer. However, on the evening of the attack, he was out with only one disciple, which may have made him vulnerable to the assailants.

Reacting strongly to the incident, Mr Adhikari has demanded enhanced security for Hindu monks in the state. Drawing parallels to the attack on Chinmoy Prabhu in Bangladesh, he expressed his concerns on social media, highlighting the growing threat to Hindu religious figures in Bengal. The BJP has condemned the incident and called for immediate action against the perpetrators. BJP co-observer and IT cell in-charge Amit Malviya wrote on X-handle: “Earlier, during one of his Bhagavat recitations, certain individuals linked to Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamul Congress had demanded that slogans such as “Bharat Mata ki jai,” “Hindu Sanatan Dharm ki jai,” “Gau mata ki jai,” and “Jai Sri Ram” should not be chanted—an instruction he refused to follow. This brutal attack is an act of retaliation driven by the TMC’s vote bank politics. The space for Hindu religious freedom in Bengal is shrinking at an alarming rate.”