The Catholic Bishops Conference of India on Friday condemned the alleged mob attack on two Catholic priests, two nuns and a catechist in Odisha’s Jaleswar earlier this week.

The incident was not an isolated case but “part of a disturbing pattern of violence against Christian minorities in the country”, the bishops’ association said.

The group described the attack as a “blatant violation” of constitutional rights and human dignity, cautioning that the increasing pattern of mob violence threatens peaceful coexistence in the country.

It urged the Odisha government to promptly act to hold the perpetrators accountable and safeguard minority communities.

The incident occurred on Wednesday when a mob of about 70 persons allegedly attacked Father Lijo Palakkaran, Father Jijo, two nuns and the catechist Durjyodhan, accusing them of carrying out illegal religious conversions, the Hindustan Times quoted Archbishop Mar Andrews Thazhath as saying.

The five persons were returning from a special mass in a nearby village when the catechist, who was riding on a motorcycle, was allegedly stopped and b=verbally abused.

“They took away his cell-phone, deflated the bike’s tyres, tore his shirt and hurled verbal abuses,” the newspaper quoted Thazhath, who is also the president of the Catholic group, as saying.

The vehicle carrying the priests and nuns was also intercepted, and the priests were allegedly verbally abused by the mob, he added.

The mob had members of the Hindutva group Bajrang Dal, The South First reported.

The Bajrang Dal is part of a group of Hindutva organisations led by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the parent organisation of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Thazhath said that such attacks were rising and called them not just assaults on Christians but on the Constitution and religious freedom, The Telegraph reported.

He added that anti-conversion laws in several states were being misused and some groups were viewing Christianity “as a foreign religion despite its 2,000-year history in India”.

The incident in Odisha follows on the heels of the arrest of two Kerala nuns in Chhattisgarh’s Durg in July on allegations of human trafficking and religious conversion. The nuns were granted bail on August 2.

Referring to that case, Thazhath urged the Chhattisgarh government to quash what he deemed to be a “fabricated” first information report, The Telegraph reported.