Jaipur: In a shocking escalation of religious intimidation, around 50 members of the Bajrang Dal launched a protest at the Hindustan Bible Institute (HBI) in Pratap Nagar, Jaipur, on 23 September 2025, alleging illegal religious conversions. The protest coincided with an official inspection visit by two HBI representatives one from its Chennai headquarters and another from Bagidora, Banswara. Eyewitness accounts describe the demonstration as aggressive, with Bajrang Dal members openly accusing the visiting officials of conversion activities.
The protest quickly turned into acts of hooliganism, creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation at the Institute. The Pratap Nagar police acted by detaining the visiting officials, confiscating their mobile phones, and seizing critical documents, including property papers, from the Institute. In addition, laptops, a pen drive, and the telephone of the Pratap Nagar unit in-charge were taken into police custody. Travel documents confirmed that the guests had arrived early in the morning at 3 a.m., highlighting that the visit was planned, official, and lawful.
Established 73 years ago in Chennai, Hindustan Bible Institute is a longstanding institution dedicated to training pastors and Christian church leaders across India. The attack on HBI is part of a worrying trend targeting Christian institutions in Rajasthan following the enactment of the state’s controversial anti-conversion law earlier this month. Civil society leaders and human rights organizations have raised alarms about the increasing frequency and severity of such attacks, noting that this incident marks the ninth recorded attack on Christians in the state since early September. These include assaults and harassment in Dungarpur, Alwar, Kotputli-Behror, Jaipur, and Anupgarh in Hanumangarh, where even children’s hostels were violated, and supervisors were physically attacked.
Following the incident, a delegation of civil society organizations met with senior police officials, including DCP Sanjiv Nain, ACP Vinod Kumar Sharma, and SHO Manoj of Pratap Nagar Thana, to register their strong protest. The delegation, led by Sawai Singh along with John Mathew, President of Jaipur Christian Fellowship, Father Vijay Pal Singh, Joint Secretary of JCF, and Kavita Srivastava of PUCL, condemned the events in the strongest terms. They highlighted that this was the second such attack within the Chief Minister’s constituency in just three days the first being the assault on Pastor Daniel during a house mass on 21 September, for which an FIR was lodged only after hours of protest, and no arrests have been made to date. The delegation emphasized that the local families associated with HBI continue to live in fear despite engaging in legal, constitutionally protected activities.
Civil society groups have demanded immediate action from authorities to curb this growing wave of communal intimidation. Their demands include the immediate cessation of attacks on minorities, arrest of Bajrang Dal and RSS members involved in unlawful activities, and the release of the detained HBI guests along with the return of their confiscated property.
The statement was endorsed by a broad coalition of organizations, including Jaipur Christian Fellowship, Rajasthan Samagra Sewa Sangh, PUCL, APCR, Rajasthan Baudh Maha Sangh, NFIW, AIDWA, Daman Pratirodh Andolan (Rajasthan), Buddhist Society of India, Jamat-e-Islami Rajasthan, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, and Dalit Muslim Ekta Manch.
The attack on HBI underscores the rising vulnerability of religious minorities in Rajasthan, exposing the gaps in law enforcement and the urgent need for protection of constitutional rights. The persistence of such acts not only threatens the safety of minority communities but also challenges the principles of secularism, justice, and social harmony that form the foundation of India’s democratic fabric.