Entry Barred: 8 Dhamtari Churches Put Up Notice Boards Amid Conversion Row

Tensions surrounding religious conversions have escalated in Chhattisgarh's Dhamtari district, leading to a significant development where notice boards restricting entry solely to baptized Christians have been erected across all eight churches located within the district headquarters. The move comes in the wake of the stringent enforcement of the Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act, which has seen the local district administration flooded with nearly 1,500 formal applications over the past six weeks alone.The vast majority of these submissions seek legal clearance to participate in church prayer services, prompting intense administrative scrutiny, community dialogues, and subsequent operational shifts across the district's 30 registered church premises.Collectorate Dialogue and Verification Guidelines Spark Church Notice BoardsThe decision to place visible restrictive boards—including at prominent historical shrines such as the 116-year-old Sundarganj Mennonite Church—followed an extensive peace and compliance conclave convened at the Dhamtari Collectorate.Attended by administrative magistrates, delegates from mainstream Hindu outfits, the Sarva Adivasi Samaj, and the Christian Forum, the meeting reviewed recurring confrontations surrounding religious gatherings and community funerary rites. Official records maintained by the Revenue and Disaster Management Department reveal that a bulk of the recent applications for prayer attendance originate from members of the Scheduled Caste and Sahu communities, who must now clear an eight-point administrative verification questionnaire before securing statutory permission to attend congregations.Security Concerns, Community Funerals, and the Forum’s Administrative StanceThe administrative crackdown follows localized flashpoints, notably an incident on September 6 when public objections were raised over the presence of 40 individuals at a prayer gathering, alongside repeated disputes regarding the burial ceremonies of recent converts.Addressing the installation of the boards, church administrators maintained that the signage is aimed at upholding internal order and deterring provocations. Dr. Diamond Philus, General Secretary of the Dhamtari District Christian Forum, clarified that the church does not seek to establish blanket bans against well-meaning visitors, noting that the cautionary notices were placed as a defensive measure to safeguard religious sanctuaries from unauthorized disruptive elements and criminal trespassers.