In Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, a case involving religious conversion under the guise of healing sessions and prayer meetings has surfaced. Hindu organizations created a commotion in response. Following protests and complaints from these organizations, the police arrested a pastor and another individual. The incident occurred in the Pachpedi police station area.
Activists from Hindu organizations in Bilaspur district have launched a campaign against religious conversion. Individuals connected to missionary activities are reportedly conducting prayer meetings in urban and rural areas, enticing people with promises of healing to facilitate conversion. A similar incident occurred in the Pachpedi police station area. After receiving complaints from Hindu organizations and witnessing the ensuing chaos, the police arrested three individuals accused of facilitating religious conversion.
In the village of Jondhra, under the jurisdiction of Pachpedi, members and officials of Hindu organizations protested on Sunday, alleging religious conversion activities. When the activists arrived, a prayer meeting was in progress in a house following a devotional gathering. The sight of Christian community members at the prayer meeting triggered outrage among the organization’s officials. The angered officials from the Hindu organization retaliated, chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and creating a disturbance. The Pachpedi police station was informed about the incident. Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, the Pachpedi police arrived at the scene and calmed the protesting officials. Based on the complaints from the organization’s officials, the police registered a case against Pastor Sukhnandan Lahare and his brother, Raghunandan Lahare, under the Religious Freedom Act and Section 299 of the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita). Both accused have been arrested. Station Officer Shravan Kumar Tandon stated that the Hindu organizations had complained about religious conversion activities under the guise of a prayer meeting in the village of Jondhra. Based on this, a case has been registered against Pastor Sukhnandan Lahare and his brother, Raghunandan Lahare, and they have been arrested.