House Church meetings in Chhattisgarh state, central India, have recently been banned. In the state capital, Raipur, without providing legal justification or documents, police have been telling House Churches that they need to get special permission from the district administration in order to hold prayer services.

These actions are in defiance of Article 25 of the Indian Constitution, according to which “all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practice and propagate religion”.

More than 200 House Churches in Chhattisgarh have been affected.

Many Churches in Raipur have shut down, mostly due to fear of attacks by Hindutva outfits like Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

The House Churches are mainly run by pastors belonging to Pentecostal denominations and are small congregations gathering inside homes and not in formal Church buildings.

As per a Madras High Court ruling in June 2025, a private home in India can generally be used as a prayer hall if formal permission is obtained from local authorities.

In recent years, extremist groups have staged systematic attacks against Christians in Chhattisgarh. In April, 300 people had gathered for a prayer meeting in Bilaspur town when a mob led by a vigilante group protested outside the venue, threw stones, and accused them of carrying out religious conversions.

At least 10 Christians were injured. There have been at least eight similar incidents in the past few months. According to local leaders, the police often act on behalf of these groups.

Christians comprise less than 2 percent of Chhattisgarh’s some 30 million people and are denied rights to land and burial grounds.

Many cannot live in their respective villages unless they renounce their “foreign faith”.

They also face violence and prolonged legal challenges under anti-conversion laws. A climate of fear has resulted in self-censorship among many Christian communities.

Extremist groups often falsely accuse pastors of luring people into churches by offering cash payments, free medical assistance, and foreign trips, funded by foreign donors.

However, these allegations are not supported by evidence and are strongly rejected by Christian leaders.

In April, six Christian families were evicted from their homes after refusing to renounce their faith. In June, a mob attacked Christian families and pressured them to convert to Hinduism.

In July, six men in Bhilai town were detained and severely beaten with wooden batons at a local jail for identifying themselves as pastors.

Also in July, two nuns were arrested along with an Indigenous (Adivasi) youth at Durg Junction railway station and accused of human trafficking and forced conversion, prompting widespread protests.

The Indian Constitution does not have an anti-conversion law, but at least 12 states including Chhattisgarh have implemented their own versions since the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014.

The Religious Liberty Commission of the Evangelical Fellowship of India has documented 334 incidents targeting Christian communities across India between January and July 2025, of which 86 took place in Chhattisgarh.

This is second only to Uttar Pradesh state. According to the ecumenical United Christian Forum, 165 anti-Christian incidents were recorded in Chhattisgarh last year, also the second-highest in the country.

Home Group Prayer

Dear LORD,

We pray that you will strengthen and protect your faithful children in India, especially in the state of Chhattisgarh where the House Churches are facing intensified pressure and persecution.

We pray for justice in these communities and that your Spirit will soften the hearts of local authorities and move them to always act fairly and in accordance with the law.

Pour out your Spirit of righteousness and love in these lands, so that your greatness and goodness may be made known to all.

We ask this in Jesus’ Name! Amen.

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Materials used by kind permission of the original author.

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