In a massive crackdown following Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav’s announcement to introduce death penalty for those involved in the religious conversion of minor girls, the Madhya Pradesh Government Railway Police (GRP) has detained 18 individuals suspected of being lured to religious conversion.
The operation took place across three different railway stations in Gwalior and Vidisha along the Patalkot Express, following a tip-off from Bajrang Dal officials. All these people were going to Jalandhar sitting in the Patalkot Express for conversion.
Authorities found that the detainees were promised financial rewards, educational opportunities for their children and overseas employment in exchange for converting to Christianity in Punjab.
The detention became possible because of the information provided by the Bajrang Dal volunteers and quick response of the police officials.
According to police reports, most of the detained individuals are from Chhindwara and were allegedly recruited by two individuals—Sahajnath Suryavanshi and Vijay Kumar for this operation. The duo reportedly assured the passengers that upon conversion, they would receive Rs 1 lakh, enrollment in Christian schools for their children and opportunities to work abroad. In this greed, a large number of people from Chhindwara boarded the Patalkot Express train with this gang on March 12.
The passengers were traveling on the Patalkot Express towards Jalandhar in Punjab. The police came to action when Bajranga Dal informed them that a large number of poor, working-class people from Chhindwara were being transported for the purpose of conversion.
Acting on intelligence received from the activists, police intercepted the train and detained 11 individuals, including Sahajnath and Vijay, at Ganjbasoda, Vidisha.
Subsequent investigations led to four more detentions at Bina station and three additional arrests at Gwalior station.
After the investigation, a case has been filed against Chhindwara residents Vijay and Sahaj Nath Suryavanshi under the Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Act. The main accused Sahaj Nath Suryavanshi revealed that he was brainwashing people for six years and was motivating them to convert to Christianity.
Authorities revealed that the group was en route to a church in Jalandhar and had previously been taken to another church in Ferozepur, Punjab, as part of an alleged religious conversion network.
The detained individuals admitted they had been promised a better life in exchange for conversion, exposing a pattern of preying on vulnerable communities facing financial hardships.
Police are continuing their investigation into the activities of Sahajnath and Vijay to identify further individuals involved in the operation.
This crackdown aligns with the Madhya Pradesh government’s intensified efforts to curb forced religious conversions, as emphasised by CM Mohan Yadav’s recent statement advocating for stringent punishments, including the death penalty, in cases involving minor girls.
Christianity and Conversion in Punjab
According to the 2011 Census, 58 per cent of Punjab’s population were Sikh, while 39 per cent were Hindus. Muslims contribute to a 1.93 per cent and Christians were merely 1.26 per cent. But in a report, published by Dainik Bhaskar, A Sikh Scholar and Researcher Dr. Ranbeer Singh claimed that in the last 2 years the Christian population in Punjab has risen up to 15 per cent.
Dr. Singh said that a total of 3.5 lakh people have converted to Christianity in the last two years. He found that innocent people are being lured by financial promises, employment opportunities, miraculous health treatment and other freebies for conversion.
Dalit Sikhs and Hindus are the soft targets of this conversion gang.
The Church offers them free food, education and health facilities for conversion. Dr. Singh raised concerns that this kind of rapid conversion is a threat to societal and religious balance. He also claimed that Gurdaspur has the highest conversion rate and this conversion receives funds from foreign countries like Pakistan, America etc for their activities.
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