Authorities in Madhya Pradesh’s Sehore district on Monday demolished portions of a house belonging to Jabbar Khan after he was accused of forcible religious conversion and hosting Christian prayer meetings.
Officials said the demolition targeted allegedly illegal construction.
The action came after Hindutva groups Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal entered Khan’s home on August 18 in Sehore’s Chandakpuri area. They claimed information had reached them about forced conversions. A prayer meeting was allegedly being held in the house at the time, leading to a heated exchange between the groups and those present.
Videos of the incident circulated widely on social media. One video, uploaded by an Instagram user in collaboration with “Bajrang Dal Sehore”, alleged that police had acted on information about a “religious conversion racket”. The caption stated that those questioned at the house “expressed support for Christianity”.
The footage showed Bibles and Christian texts inside the home. It also captured Khan identifying himself as the owner. He said that those gathered had been meeting for two years to pray to god, and that attendees came from different faiths.
Bajrang Dal members were seen threatening those present. Another video posted on Facebook showed police officers at the location. A police officer from Sehore Police Station, however, rejected claims of forced conversion.
The officer said that all those who were present in the room still held their birth names and had not converted to any other religion. He explained that they organised a prayer meet there every Sunday and that no one had complained about any forceful conversion. The officer added that the application from the complainants had been registered and further investigation was being carried out, while no one had been detained or arrested so far.
Despite this, Aaj Tak reported that a case was registered against Jabbar Khan and his wife, Tahira Khan, under the 2021 Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act. Khan was later arrested, according to the channel. A police officer present during the prayer meeting was suspended.
Following the August incident, the local municipality issued a notice asking Khan to produce the construction permit for his home within 15 days. Reports said no permit was provided. It was alleged that Khan had added an upper floor without permission and was engaged in conversion activities.