Chhattisgarh: Dhamtari Churches Restrict Prayer Entry to Christians Amid Conversion Row

For the past few days, people have been seeing an unusual notice outside the brick-red, 125-year-old Sunderganj Mennonite Church in Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari district.

The notice states that only Christians are permitted to enter the church for prayers. The warning, written in Hindi, reads: “If others come of their own free will, they would be held responsible (for their choice).”

Similar notices have also been put up at other churches in Dhamtari. At least eight churches in Dhamtari city have displayed such notices, while the Dhamtari District Christian Forum has asked community members to put up similar notices outside churches and prayer meeting halls elsewhere in the district.

Self-Declaration Forms Triggered Church Notices

According to a community leader, the decision was prompted by the steady stream of applications submitted to the district administration by non-Christians stating that they were attending churches voluntarily. The leader claimed that some “right-wing members” had objected to this.

The applications came after Chhattisgarh’s new anti-conversion law came into effect. Under one of its provisions, a person seeking to convert from one religion to another has to submit a declaration to the competent authority.

The law does not specifically refer to people casually visiting churches, but the Christian community said it did not want to take any chances.

Allegations of religious conversion at prayer meetings and disputes over the last rites of converted individuals have led to tensions in Dhamtari and other districts in the neighbouring Bastar region.

However, the measure was implemented more strictly after a meeting at the Collectorate on September 15.

Peace Meeting Held Amid Prayer Dispute

According to sources, on September 15, Dhamtari police also convened a Shanti (peace) meeting, where representatives of organisations including the Bajrang Dal and the Sarva Adivasi Samaj objected to non-Christians attending prayer meetings.

After the meeting, the Christian community again urged its members to display the banners outside their premises as a precautionary measure.

Shivnarayan Pandey, a spokesperson for the state’s ruling BJP, said the issue was neither “right-wing” nor “left-wing”.

“Chhattisgarh government has enacted a law, which is being opposed by groups that oppose conversion. It’s not about political ideology, neither right nor left. It’s not a political matter either. It concerns society. The tribal community opposes conversion because it splits people apart,” Pandey said.

The leader from Bastar added, “Tribals are abandoning their culture, which has led to internal conflicts within the community and is causing unrest in what was once a peaceful society.”