Bajrang Dal Targets Hindustan Bible Institute in Jaipur, Police Detain Guests

Jaipur, 24 September 2025: Around 50 members of the Bajrang Dal protested at the Hindustan Bible Institute (HBI) in Pratap Nagar, Jaipur, on 23 September, alleging religious conversions. The protest occurred while an inspection visit was underway by two officials of HBI—one from its Chennai headquarters and another from Bagidora, Banswara.

The Bajrang Dal accused the two visiting officials of engaging in conversion activities and resorted to hooliganism. Acting on the complaint, Pratap Nagar police detained the guests, seized their phones, and confiscated documents from the Institute, including property papers. They also took away the telephone, laptops, and a pen drive belonging to the in-charge of the Pratap Nagar unit. The police further examined the travel tickets of the two guests, which confirmed their arrival in Jaipur earlier that morning at 3 a.m.

HBI, established 73 years ago in Chennai, is an institution that trains pastors and Christian church leaders.

Following the incident, a delegation of civil society organisations met senior police officials, including DCP Sanjiv Nain, ACP Vinod Kumar Sharma, and SHO Manoj of Pratap Nagar Thana. The group, led by Sawai Singh along with John Mathew, President of Jaipur Christian Fellowship (JCF), Father Vijay Pal Singh, Joint Secretary of JCF, and Kavita Srivastava of PUCL, strongly condemned the events. They noted that this was the second such incident in the Chief Minister’s constituency within three days—the first being the attack on Pastor Daniel during a house mass in Pratap Nagar on 21 September, for which an FIR was lodged only after hours of protest, with no arrests so far.

Civil society members also visited the Institute and met the two families associated with HBI in Jaipur. They reported that the families were living in fear despite carrying out legal work protected under the Indian Constitution.

According to the delegation, this incident marked the ninth attack on Christians in Rajasthan since the passage of the state’s anti-conversion law earlier in September. The incidents include two attacks in Dungarpur, one in Alwar, two in Jaipur, two cases of police harassment of Christians in Kotputli-Behror, and two incidents in Anupgarh district of Hanumangarh, where a children’s hostel was broken into and two supervisors were assaulted.

The groups demanded:

An immediate halt to communal incidents and attacks on minorities.

Arrest of Bajrang Dal/RSS members indulging in unlawful activities.

Release of the detained HBI guests and restoration of their confiscated devices.

The statement was signed by representatives of multiple organisations, including Jaipur Christian Fellowship, Rajasthan Samagra Sewa Sangh, PUCL, APCR, Rajasthan Baudh Maha Sangh, NFIW, AIDWA, Daman Pratirodh Andolan (Rajasthan), Buddhist Society of India, Jamat-e-Islami Rajasthan, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, and Dalit Muslim Ekta Manch.

By Catholic Connect Reporter