Bhubaneswar: A recent fact-finding report has brought to light serious allegations of police brutality against tribal women, children, and Christian priests during a raid in Juba village, Odisha, conducted under the premise of investigating cannabis cultivation.

The report, released by an eight-member team, claims that police officers desecrated a church, assaulted children and priests with lathis, and molested women during the raid. Notably, this incident marks the first reported attack by police on a Christian church in the state.

The team, which comprised seven advocates and a social activist, visited the village in the Gajapati district and documented evidence of the violence. The report describes how police entered the Juba Church, disrupting preparations for Sunday mass and assaulting individuals within the church’s premises.

Among those attacked were four young Kondh Adivasi women, including two minors aged 12. The report details how police broke cleaning instruments and desecrated the church. The women were reportedly beaten with sticks and forcibly removed to a police bus.

A 38-year-old woman cook from the Sabar tribal group was also severely beaten, with her clothes torn, as she attempted to intervene. Additionally, children from a nearby village were allegedly not spared, with reports of mothers and children being taken away in a police bus before being abandoned at a distance.

Two Catholic priests residing within the compound were attacked as they attempted to protect the women and children. Accusations of conversion and being “Pakistanis” were reportedly hurled at them. One priest sustained a fractured shoulder during the altercation. The report also mentions the theft of Rs 40,000 from the priests’ residence.

The report further details extensive property damage, including the destruction of motorcycles and food supplies. Despite the gravity of these allegations, no official reports have been lodged, and the incident has received limited media coverage, according to the fact-finding team.