- Prayer meetings in Bilaspur and Durg sparked violent protests over conversion allegations.
- Police filed a case against seven Christians in Bilaspur, triggering a 10-hour standoff.
- Hindu groups and Christians raised slogans outside Sipat police station.
- In Durg, Bajrang Dal and VHP activists clashed with Christians during a house-church prayer meet.
- A Christian man named John was beaten and detained, escalating tensions further.
GG News Bureau
Bilaspur, 15th Sept: Tensions flared across Chhattisgarh over the weekend as prayer meetings by the Christian community in Bilaspur and Durg turned into protracted confrontations between Christian groups and Hindu organisations.
In Bilaspur’s Sipat area, nearly 300 Christians assembled for a prayer meet when Hindu organisations demonstrated outside, alleging religious conversions. Police later filed a case against seven Christians, prompting hundreds from the community to surround the police station demanding withdrawal of charges. Hindu groups simultaneously staged their own protest, resulting in a 10-hour standoff and a volatile city atmosphere.
A similar scene unfolded in Durg, where activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, and Hindu Jagran Manch surrounded a house-church prayer meeting near Bafna Mangalam. Eyewitnesses reported that a Christian man identified as John allegedly abused Bajrang Dal workers, triggering a violent clash. Video shows John being beaten with sticks before police intervened and detained him.
The arrest ignited further protests as Christians marched to the police station. Police later shifted both parties to Pur village station to record complaints, but arguments continued. Bhim Army activists from Raipur arrived, heightening tensions. Authorities detained one individual from each side for assault and abuse; both were released on bail.
Bajrang Dal member Jyoti Sharma alleged John had a history of provocative incidents and received foreign funding, demanding his expulsion and a probe into his bank details. The group warned of agitation if their demands were ignored.
Durg Additional Superintendent of Police Sukhnandan Rathore confirmed police had prior information of the gathering and said, “Both parties have now been counselled and the investigation is ongoing.”
Christian leaders dismissed conversion allegations as baseless. “The definition of conversion is not clear; neither government nor administration can answer it. People join us of their own free will and give up addictions, which is a positive change,” one leader stated.
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