Kochi/ Bhubaneshwar, Aug. 9 -- The Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) and the Syro-Malabar Church in Kerala on Friday protested strongly against the alleged mob attack on two Catholic priests, two nuns and a catechist in Balasore district of Odisha on Wednesday.

According to the Church, the attack on the Christian group was led by members of Bajrang Dal, an affiliate of the Sangh Parivar, in Jaleswar on false suspicions of illegal religious conversions in the area.

Mar Andrews Thazhath, metropolitan archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church in Thrissur, told reporters on Friday that the attack on the group comprising priests and nuns took place while the latter were returning after taking part in a special mass organised in connect...