Tensions are running high in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district just days before Christmas, following back-to-back incidents where members of right-wing organizations forcibly entered two churches, leading to violent confrontations and police detentions.
Altercation with Visually Impaired Woman Goes Viral
The controversy erupted on Monday, December 23, 2025, at a church located behind Hawabagh Women’s College in Jabalpur. A group including BJP district vice-president Anju Bhargava and members of right-wing outfits entered the premises. They alleged that visually impaired students from a government-run hostel were being coerced into religious conversion during a Christmas-related charitable program.
The situation quickly escalated into a physical confrontation. A widely circulated video from the scene shows Bhargava in a heated exchange with a visually impaired woman seated inside the church. In the footage, Bhargava is seen holding the woman's face, prompting the woman to grab and twist Bhargava's arm while repeatedly asking her not to make physical contact.
Police officials who later intervened stated that the gathering involved visually impaired students who had been invited for a meal and prayers as part of festive outreach. The students denied any attempt at forced conversion and said they had been brought from their hostel for lunch. A senior police officer confirmed, "At this stage, there is no evidence of forced conversion. Statements of the students are being recorded." The children were safely sent back after the commotion.
Second Church Raid Descends into Chaos
This was the second such incident in Jabalpur within days. On the morning of Sunday, December 22, a prayer service at a church in Madhotal, near Shiv Shakti Nagar, was violently disrupted. Around 11 am, members of a right-wing organization entered the premises, questioning the size and composition of the congregation.
What began as questioning rapidly escalated into physical violence. Eyewitnesses reported chairs being thrown and slogans being shouted inside the place of worship. Jitendra Barman, who was present, stated, "Worship of the Lord happens in the church, not conversion... Today when the prayer meeting was going on, young men barged in shouting. They assaulted women and children."
Members of the Hindu Seva Parishad, however, claimed they approached the church after receiving information about an unusually large gathering with attendees from outside districts and were questioning potential conversion activities when violence erupted.
Contradictory Claims and Police Investigation
The narratives from both sides are sharply contradictory. The right-wing groups have filed a complaint, questioning how students from a government hostel were taken to a religious site without prior intimation. They also alleged that exclusively Christian prayers were conducted and non-vegetarian food was served.
In her defense, Anju Bhargava told The Indian Express she acted on information that visually impaired women were being "held against their will." She claimed some women expressed a desire to leave and alleged irregularities in the program's organization. Bhargava also asserted that she was assaulted but did not file a complaint because "the woman involved was blind."
Police confirmed that several youths were detained for creating a disturbance during the Madhotal incident. Investigators are currently working to establish the precise sequence of events based on testimonies from all involved parties. The back-to-back raids have cast a shadow over Christmas celebrations in the region, highlighting simmering communal tensions and raising serious questions about law and order during the festive season.
