Tensions have risen in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, after right-wing outfits entered two churches just before Christmas, alleging religious conversions. The incidents led to confrontations, with police intervening to calm the situation. Investigators are piecing together events based on testimonies from both sides.
Tensions have escalated in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, this week with two separate incidents involving right-wing outfits entering churches ahead of Christmas. The first occurred on Monday at a church behind Hawabagh Women’s College, where BJP district vice-president Anju Bhargava and members of right-wing organizations entered, claiming visually impaired students were being coerced into religious conversion. A viral video captured Bhargava in a heated exchange with a visually impaired woman, who grabbed and twisted her arm, demanding no physical contact.
Police stated that the students, from a government-run hostel, had been invited for a meal and prayers as part of Christian charitable outreach. They denied any conversion attempts, and officials found no evidence so far. A senior police officer noted, “At this stage, there is no evidence of forced conversion. Statements of the students are being recorded.” The right-wing groups complained about taking hostel students to a religious site without informing authorities and serving non-vegetarian food. Bhargava defended her presence, saying she acted on reports of visually impaired women being held against their will in a dilapidated structure, and claimed she was assaulted but filed no complaint due to the woman's disability.
The second incident unfolded Sunday morning at a church near Shiv Shakti Nagar in Madhotal, where Hindu Seva Parishad members disrupted a prayer service. They questioned the large gathering, including outsiders, leading to violence with thrown chairs and shouted slogans. Worshippers described 15 to 20 young men barging in, chanting “Jai Shri Ram,” and causing panic by assaulting women and children. Jitendra Barman, present at the scene, said: “Worship of the Lord happens in the church, not conversion. For years, people have been coming here of their own will and praying. Today when the prayer meeting was going on, young men barged in shouting. They assaulted women and children.”
Police detained several youths for the disturbance and are establishing the sequence of events through testimonies. These pre-Christmas clashes highlight rising religious frictions in the region.
