Hindu Group Demands Ban on Christian Priests in Chhattisgarh Villages

Chhattisgarh, August 7, 2025 – A Hindu religious group in India’s Chhattisgarh state has demanded a ban on Christian priests entering indigenous villages, accusing them of converting tribal populations under the guise of social and charitable work.

The demand, made by the orthodox Hindu group Sanatan Samaj (Eternal Forum), was submitted on 5 August in a petition addressed to Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, a senior leader of the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The group also called for the demolition of allegedly illegal churches in tribal areas and an end to Christian welfare activities, which they claimed were being used as a front for religious conversions.

The petition was presented to the Kanker district administrative chief following a protest march through Bhanupratappur, the district headquarters, during which most shops remained closed in solidarity. Hindu leaders at a subsequent rally accused Christian missionaries of luring Dalit and tribal communities with education and healthcare in order to convert them.

The petition further urged the government to deny burial grounds to Christians in tribal areas, effectively calling for the removal of Christian presence and institutions from regions where missionaries have historically served some of the most remote and neglected communities.

The protest comes just three days after a special court granted bail to two Catholic nuns from the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate, who had been arrested on charges of human trafficking and forced conversion. The nuns, Vandana Francis and Preeti Mary, were detained at Durg railway station on 25 July while accompanying three Christian tribal women, aged 19 to 22, to work as domestic helpers in their convents. Hindu activists from the Bajrang Dal intercepted the group, accused the nuns of trafficking and conversion, and filed complaints without prior investigation.

The Sanatan Samaj petition demanded harsh punishment for the nuns and asked that no action be taken against the Bajrang Dal activists who allegedly harassed them. The release of the nuns on bail, reportedly due to political intervention from their home state of Kerala, has drawn criticism from Hindu groups and sparked renewed protests.

Pastor Simon Digbal Tandi, coordinator of the Progressive Christian Alliance in Chhattisgarh, condemned the rising hostility. “The way Christians are demonised is a serious matter as their life and properties are in danger,” he told UCA News on 6 August. He added that Christians abide by the Indian Constitution and do not engage in forced conversions or violate anti-conversion laws.

Deputy Chief Minister and State Home Minister Vijay Sharma announced on 3 August that the government intends to strengthen the Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act, 1968, with discussions held across 52 meetings, according to the Deccan Chronicle.

Chhattisgarh, where Christians make up just 2% of the 30 million population, is the second-worst Indian state for Christian persecution, recording 165 incidents in 2024—second only to Uttar Pradesh. Christians in the state continue to face social exclusion and denial of basic rights, including access to burial grounds.

Hindu Group Demands Ban on Christian Priests in Chhattisgarh Villages

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