Notice outside Chhattisgarh churches asks non-Christians to ‘enter at own responsibility’

A notice has been displayed outside several churches in Chhattisgarh's Dhamtari district, asking non-Christians to enter at their own risk. This notice, written in Hindi outside the historic Sunderganj Mennonite Church, is not unique to this single structure. Within the past month, over ten churches in Dhamtari have displayed similar signs.

Dr. Diamond Filus, general secretary of the Dhamtari District Christian Forum, explained that the community had put up these banners as a precautionary measure. The primary reason for this action stemmed from the increasing number of self-declaration forms submitted to the district administration by non-Christians who were visiting churches voluntarily.

These applications came about due to a new anti-conversion law passed in Chhattisgarh last month. While the law does not specifically address casual church visitors, the community wished to avoid any potential complications. Dhamtari, much like other regions in the neighboring Bastar region, has experienced disturbances related to alleged religious conversions and disagreements over the final rites of converted individuals.

Dr. Filus noted that the step of putting up the notices was taken over a month ago, after a meeting at the Collectorate on September 15, where right-wing activists and tribal organizations expressed their concerns about non-Christian individuals attending church services. The meeting, which included tribal leaders and members of the Bajrang Dal, resulted in abusive language and discussions about upholding constitutional values of freedom of religion.

Despite the meeting's intention to address the issue, Dr. Filus expressed disappointment that the Constitutional values were not respected. The state's ruling BJP spokesperson, Shivnarayan Pandey, refuted the notion that this issue was politically or ideologically driven, emphasizing that it was a social concern, primarily driven by tribal communities who are wary of conversion due to the perceived loss of their culture and the ensuing conflicts within their community.