📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Mennonite Church USA Archives
Religion
Dhamtari churches display ‘Entry for worship only for Christians’ signs amid conversion controversy
✍️ The Times of India
🗓 25 Sep 2026, 06:36 PM
👁 8
Churches in Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh, have put up signs restricting entry to Christians only, citing concerns over alleged conversion activities.
Several Christian churches in Dhamtari district have installed boards at their entrances stating that worship services are open exclusively to Christians. The move comes as local communities raise concerns about alleged conversion activities targeting non‑Christian residents.
Church officials said the signs are intended to prevent misunderstandings and to protect congregants from external pressures. They emphasized that the restriction applies only to the act of worship inside the premises and does not affect the right of non‑Christians to visit the church grounds for non‑religious purposes.
Local authorities have not issued any formal directive regarding the signage, and the matter is being monitored amid a broader debate on religious conversion in the state. Community leaders from different faiths have called for dialogue to address the growing tension.
The churches declined to comment on specific incidents but reiterated their commitment to religious freedom while seeking to maintain communal harmony in the district.
Church officials said the signs are intended to prevent misunderstandings and to protect congregants from external pressures. They emphasized that the restriction applies only to the act of worship inside the premises and does not affect the right of non‑Christians to visit the church grounds for non‑religious purposes.
Local authorities have not issued any formal directive regarding the signage, and the matter is being monitored amid a broader debate on religious conversion in the state. Community leaders from different faiths have called for dialogue to address the growing tension.
The churches declined to comment on specific incidents but reiterated their commitment to religious freedom while seeking to maintain communal harmony in the district.