Bastar (Chhattisgarh) : Angry villagers assault priest over conversion of Hindus

Asked him to leave the village

Bastar (Chhattisgarh) – In the Retawand village of the district, villagers allegedly thrashed a priest over accusations of converting innocent and underprivileged Hindus to Christianity. A video of an incident has surfaced, showing a priest being beaten and his shirt torn during the assault. Groups of both men and women are seen kicking and punching him and hitting him with slippers.

Bastar (Chhattisgarh): Villagers confront pastor over Hindu conversions, ask him to leave the village.

Despite Chhattisgarh’s recent anti-conversion law, allegations of illegal conversions continue to surface.

When authorities fail to act effectively, public anger rises and… pic.twitter.com/M559RBfHHS

— Sanatan Prabhat (@SanatanPrabhat) April 29, 2026

According to reports, the priest, originally from Odisha, had been residing in Retawand village for quite some time. He was allegedly encouraging local Hindus to convert. Angered by this, villagers held a meeting on 26 April and instructed him to leave the village along with his family. When he ignored the villagers’ warning, they reportedly assaulted him.

The priest will leave the village soon – Police assurance

The police arrived at the scene in time and intervened to bring the situation under control. Villagers have been consistently demanding that the priest leave the village at the earliest. In response, the police have assured them that he will leave soon.

Editorial Perspective

• In fact, the police should have arrested the priest and taken strict action against him under the anti-conversion law. If such action is not taken, the government should hold the concerned police accountable.
• Despite the recent enactment of an anti-conversion law in Chhattisgarh, the conversion of Hindus is continuing unabated. As the administration has failed to curb such activities, people are beginning to take the law into their own hands. However, the responsibility for maintaining law and order ultimately lies with the administration. The authorities must carry out their duty sincerely.