In what appears to be yet another disturbing episode in a growing pattern of organised religious conversions across Madhya Pradesh, the Jabalpur police have filed an FIR against five individuals accused of coercing a Hindu couple to convert to Christianity by exploiting their daughter’s illness. The accused, all linked to the controversial Punjab-based Ankur Narula Ministries, allegedly lured the desperate parents with promises of miraculous healing, forced them to consume dubious substances labelled as the “blood of Jesus”, and extorted lakhs in cash and jewellery.
This case, coupled with similar incidents in Pilibhit, Dewas, and Delhi, has reignited nationwide concern over a sprawling network of conversion syndicates preying on the vulnerable in the guise of faith and welfare.
FIR Details
The FIR was filed on June 29 at Adhartal police station based on a complaint by Nikita Yadav, a resident. The accused have been identified as Preeti, Hariom, Namita Raikwar, Kavita Raikwar, and Nikita Raikwar.
According to the complaint, the couple was promised healing for their sick child in exchange for embracing Christianity. The accused reportedly administered dubious substances, referred to as the “blood of Jesus”, and forced the couple to consume them during prayer sessions.
The case has been registered under Sections 318(4), 351(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and under Sections 3 and 5 of the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, which prohibits forced religious conversions in the state.
Harrowing Ordeal of the Couple
Nikita Yadav recounted that her daughter had fallen severely ill about a year ago. During that distressing period, she came in contact with Preeti and Hariom near her maternal aunt’s house. Posing as faith healers, the two lured the couple into their religious network with repeated assurances that their child would recover only through prayers to Jesus Christ.
They allegedly took the child away for extended periods and even dragged the couple to a pond near Tilwara to conduct ritual immersions, which the couple said were forced religious rites symbolising conversion. Shockingly, Nikita also stated that they were taken twice to Punjab, against their will, to attend sermons at Ankur Narula’s church, known for mass conversions disguised as healing congregations.
During this period, the accused reportedly extorted Rs 2 lakh in cash and jewellery worth another Rs 2 lakh from the family. Nikita further alleged that about 10–15 days ago, the accused returned to their home with fresh threats, warning that their lives would be in danger if they did not convert.
The Raikwar women, Namita, Kavita and Nikita, also visited their home to reinforce the threats and collect more money.
VHP and Bajrang Dal Protest
The incident came to light after members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal staged a protest on June 30 outside the Adhartal police station. The activists demanded the immediate arrest of the accused and raised alarms over what they called a systematic campaign targeting economically vulnerable Hindu families.
“Fake healings, miracle cures, and emotional manipulation are being used as tools to convert desperate people. This must be stopped,” said a local Bajrang Dal leader at the protest site.
Who is Ankur Narula?
The main spiritual force behind the alleged network is Ankur Yoseph Narula, a self-styled Christian “Apostle” who runs one of Punjab’s largest churches. Narula, born in a Hindu Khatri family in Jalandhar, claims to have had a vision of Jesus that changed his life. His ministry, which started in 2008 with just three followers, now boasts over 1 lakh Sunday attendees and has a YouTube following of 2.7 million.
Narula calls himself a “faith healer” and claims to cure everything from arthritis to cancer, even allegedly the dead. His followers refer to him reverently as “Papa”.
However, Narula has a long list of controversies. In 2020, the Legal Rights Observatory filed an FCRA violation complaint against his Spiritual Welfare Society, alleging money laundering and illegal conversions. In 2021, VHP exposed a clandestine church operating out of a warehouse in Delhi allegedly linked to Narula’s network. It was claimed that pastors under him were paid Rs 3 lakh per month to facilitate conversions. Local pressure led to its closure.
Pilibhit and Ankit Narula’s network
During a recent ground report in Pilibhit, near the Nepal border, Organiser uncovered a disturbing pattern of religious conversion targeting impoverished members of the Sikh community. Multiple victims confirmed that they had been lured to Christianity through false promises of medical aid, money, and emotional manipulation. In nearly every case, the covert operations were traced back to Ankur Narula Ministries, the controversial Punjab-based evangelical network already under scrutiny in several states.
One such harrowing testimony came from Sant Kaur, an elderly woman residing near Dhanara Ghat, whom Organiser met along with her husband, Ranjeet Singh. Sant Kaur had previously fallen prey to the missionary network but has since returned to Sikhism through ghar wapsi (homecoming).
Recounting her traumatic experience, she shared: “I was unwell, and they promised me Rs 50,000 along with full medical treatment. People like Chhindo Kaur, Meena Kaur, and Sareja Kaur—some of them even came from Nepal—were deeply involved in the operation. During the baptism ceremony, they made me drink cow’s blood. That was the turning point. Eventually, I realised the mistake and came back to our faith. I now go to the Gurdwara regularly and have taken Amrit again.”
Sant Kaur further revealed how the missionaries tried to sever her cultural and spiritual ties: “They told me to throw away the prasad and stop visiting the Gurdwara. They disrespected our Guru traditions. There are now three churches in our area—one already functional in Bazar Ghat, another being constructed in Nanaknagri Bazar Ghat, and one more in Char Number Tila. There’s also another in Tatarganj.”
Speaking with a renewed sense of conviction and belonging, she added: “Our Gurus sacrificed their lives for us. How could I reject the prasad that comes from their legacy? They tried to buy our devotion with money and fake promises. Around New Year, they bring in huge crowds, sometimes even tractors full of people, for mass baptisms attended by thousands. Now that the authorities are more alert, they’ve started conducting their prayer meetings at night, often using Punjabi Bibles and speaking in Punjabi to make it all seem familiar.”
The Pilibhit episode echoes similar patterns reported in Jabalpur, Delhi, and Punjab, where Ankur Narula’s name repeatedly emerges in connection with mass conversion efforts targeting Dalits, Hindus, and Sikhs alike. The Pilibhit case, particularly the graphic and shocking rituals like drinking cow’s blood, has sparked renewed calls for stricter state and central oversight.
Separate Jabalpur Conversion Case
Just a day before this FIR, Akhilesh Meban, owner of Joy Senior Secondary School in Jabalpur, was arrested along with his wife Neenu Meban and son Captain Tanay Meban on charges of forced religious conversion, mental harassment, and abetment. The complaint was filed by his daughter-in-law Captain Akanksha Arora, a former Indian Army officer.
According to the FIR, Akanksha alleged that before her marriage in 2017, she was coerced into renouncing her Hindu faith and embracing Christianity, with the conversion ceremony taking place inside a church. Post-marriage, she was allegedly subjected to mental harassment and persistent religious pressure. The pressure was so intense that she was eventually forced to resign from her Army commission.
Fake Doctor in Jabalpur’s Ranjhi
In the latest such case, Dashrath Prasad Bairagi, a resident of Ranjhi locality in Jabalpur, was arrested last week for illegally practising medicine without any qualifications. According to the police, Bairagi was found running a small clinic and prescribing allopathic medicines without a valid degree. His clinic has now been sealed.
But what began as a health department raid escalated into a far more serious issue. Activists from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal accused Bairagi of disseminating Christian religious literature among patients, allegedly containing blasphemous content against Hindu deities like Bhagwan Shiva and Maa Durga.
“He was charging Rs 20 for pamphlets filled with anti-Hindu sentiments. He claimed to follow Kabir Panth but was promoting Christian conversion,” said VHP’s local coordinator Sumit Singh Thakur, who also alleged that Bairagi specifically targeted economically weaker sections of society.
Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Anand Kaladgi confirmed Bairagi’s arrest and stated that he has been booked under charges of unauthorised medical practice and distribution of unverified medicines. “Although we haven’t received an official conversion complaint yet, we are probing the matter further. If any credible evidence of religious conversion emerges, strict action under the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act will follow,” Kaladgi assured.
Another Conversion Attempt in Ranjhi
Just weeks before Bairagi’s arrest, another disturbing case of religious coercion emerged from the same Ranjhi police jurisdiction, where a woman named Neetu Raikwar, suffering from illness, filed an FIR against four men, Manoj Pille, Vinod, Rajiv, and one unidentified person, for attempting to convert her to Christianity.
According to the complaint, the men visited her on February 2, offering promises of healing and financial assistance if she gave up her Hindu faith. They gave her Rs 2,000 as “goodwill money” and told her to purchase Christian prayer items. When her husband protested, tensions escalated.
Two weeks later, on February 16, the accused returned with food supplies and forced Christian rituals inside her home, removing Hindu images and replacing them with a crucifix and a photo of Jesus. They then declared all attendees as converted Christians.
After facing threats for resisting, Neetu lodged a complaint. The police booked the accused under the Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Act, which prohibits conversions by coercion, allurement or misrepresentation.
Dewas Conversion Racket
In a separate case from Chaubara Jagir village, Dewas district, an alleged conversion racket targeting tribal minors was busted on June 20, when Hindu activist Gajraj Singh Sendhav lodged a formal complaint at Sonkutch Police Station.
According to the FIR (No. 409/2025), a group posing as educators was operating a “coaching centre” for tribal children. However, the premises turned out to be a front for missionary activity. Posters of Jesus Christ adorned the walls, and during a prayer meeting at the home of local resident Bhagnu Jiyaji, the group—Manju, Kiran, Mahida, Sachin, and Mithun, openly insulted Hindu deities.
Their pitch to the tribals was chillingly direct: “If Ram couldn’t save his wife Sita, how will he save you? Leave your gods and come to Jesus.”
They promised Rs 50,000, free education, and school admissions to lure the impoverished families into conversion.
Following the complaint, police promptly arrested the accused and invoked Sections 3 and 5 of the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2021, which criminalise conversion by allurement or coercion, especially when the target is a woman, minor or member of a Scheduled Tribe.
Video evidence obtained from the scene showed Christian messages written on walls and sermons being conducted in Hindi, urging children to “fear Jehovah” and surrender to Jesus.
Emerging Pattern: Vulnerable Communities Targeted
The incidents in Jabalpur and Dewas mirror a disturbing trend across Madhya Pradesh: conversion syndicates disguising themselves as healers, social workers, or educators, preying on vulnerable Hindu families dealing with poverty, illness, or illiteracy.
“Such groups exploit people when they are at their weakest, offering hope and healing, but in reality, it’s a deeply exploitative operation,” said a Bajrang Dal member present during the Dewas protest.
With multiple such cases now surfacing across Pilibhit, Jabalpur, Dewas, and other regions, concerns are mounting about a systematic and organised conversion network operating under the radar. These operations, masked in welfare, are not only eroding faith and tradition but also challenge India’s constitutional values of religious freedom and personal choice.
The stories of women like Neetu Raikwar, tribal children in Dewas, and elderly converts who returned through ghar wapsi serve as stark reminders of the need for vigilance, legal enforcement, and community support to protect the country’s vulnerable from spiritual exploitation disguised as social service.
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