More than 10 churches in Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari district have put up notices asking non Christians to enter their premises at their own responsibility, amid tensions over allegations of religious conversion and concerns about disruption by Hindutva groups.
The notices have appeared over the past month, according to The Indian Express. One notice outside the 125 year old Sunderganj Mennonite Church says, “According to rules, only Christians are allowed to enter this church for prayers. If others come of their own freewill, they would be held responsible for their choice.”
Similar notices have reportedly been placed outside other churches and prayer halls in the district.
Churches Say Notices Are a Precaution
Diamond Filus, general secretary of the Dhamtari District Christian Forum, said the notices were put up as a precaution after non Christians submitted self declaration forms to the district administration saying they were attending Christian prayers voluntarily.
Filus said more than 1,000 such declarations had been submitted. He alleged that right wing groups had objected to non Christians attending prayer meetings.
“Since the new government came to Chhattisgarh in 2023, they have given a free hand to right wing activists,” Filus told The Indian Express. He alleged that prayer meetings had been disrupted and said the notices were intended to prevent further disputes and legal complications.
The Christian Forum has also asked community members to display similar notices outside homes where prayer meetings are held.
New Anti Conversion Law Adds to Tensions
The notices come after Chhattisgarh’s new anti conversion law came into effect last month.
One provision requires a person who wants to convert from one religion to another to submit a declaration to the competent authority. The law does not specifically state that non Christians cannot enter a church or attend a prayer meeting.
Church representatives said they were nevertheless concerned that attending Christian prayers could lead to allegations of conversion.
Dhamtari and parts of the neighbouring Bastar region have previously witnessed disputes over prayer meetings, alleged conversions and the last rites of people who had converted to Christianity.
BJP Calls Conversion a Social Issue
Shivnarayan Pandey, a spokesperson for the ruling BJP in Chhattisgarh, rejected the framing of the dispute as a right wing versus left wing issue.
He said the state government had enacted the law because of concerns over religious conversion and claimed that tribal communities opposed conversion because they believed it was contributing to social tensions.
The BJP’s position contrasts with the concerns raised by Christian representatives, who say the notices are meant as a security and legal precaution rather than a blanket ban on non Christians entering churches.
Dhamtari district authorities have also held meetings with different community organisations over the tensions. District Collector Abhinash Mishra said such peace meetings are held regularly and that the decision to put up the notices was taken independently by the Christian Forum.
