Raipur (AsiaNews) – The indefinite postponement of the priestly ordination of Jesuit deacon Basil Hadde in Chhattisgarh has reignited concerns amongst Christian leaders over allegations of religious conversion and administrative interference in the Church’s activities. Hadde’s ordination in the parish of Dhanwar, in the district of Balrampur, was postponed after local government officials reportedly requested documentary evidence of his conversion to Christianity in 1995.
“The problem arose because they informed the local police station about the ordination,” the Archbishop of Raipur, Monsignor Victor Thakur, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Council of Chhattisgarh (CBCG), told AsiaNews.
The officials reportedly claimed to have received a complaint from two individuals, identified as Patras and Umesh, who were seeking to prevent the ordination. They expressed concern that the ceremony might encourage further conversions amongst members of the Kodaku tribal community.
The administration reportedly ordered the parish to cancel or postpone the ceremony until documentary evidence attesting to the legality of the deacon’s conversion had been produced. According to reports, the officials stated that they had received a complaint from two individuals, identified as Patras and Umesh, who were seeking to prevent the ordination. They expressed concern that the ceremony might encourage further conversions amongst members of the Kodaku tribal community.
The deacon presented his baptism certificate and explained that his family’s conversion dated back to 1995, well before Chhattisgarh’s anti-conversion law came into force. The postponement disappointed the deacon’s family and the villagers, who had spent months preparing for the ceremony. According to church sources, both Christian and non-Christian residents expressed anger and had initially considered organising a protest at the district headquarters. The Jesuits and the parish council, however, urged them to remain calm and agreed to postpone the ordination only temporarily.
The case forms part of a wider context of unease amongst Christian communities in Chhattisgarh, which are increasingly coming under pressure from Hindu nationalists. In the neighbouring district of Dhamtari, notices have appeared outside churches warning against allegations of forced conversion. At the 116-year-old Mennonite church in Sunderganj, a sign in Hindi reads: “In accordance with the church’s rules of management, entry for worship is reserved for Christians. Others who enter voluntarily do so at their own risk.”
Diamond Philus, general secretary of the Dhamtari District Christian Forum, stated that the notices were intended as a precaution against possible action under the Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act 2026, for fear of accusations of forced conversion.
Archbishop Thakur told AsiaNews that he believed the notices were a response both to alleged false accusations by private citizens and to what he described as a lack of impartiality on the part of the local police. He explained that some individuals enter churches, sometimes at the instigation of others, and then accuse pastors of having invited them to convert to Christianity. He also accused the local police of acting on such allegations against Christians, whilst failing to adequately address attacks on Christian communities and damage to church property.
Chhattisgarh is a state in central India with a substantial tribal population, where allegations of religious conversion have repeatedly caused tensions.
