In Surajpura, a sizable Christian prayer meeting was underway in a private residence when locals and RSS activists surrounded the premises. They alleged that attendees were being “allured” into converting under the guise of worship. Police intervened, detained a few people for questioning, and pacified the crowd. Organisers denied any wrongdoing: “We were performing weekly prayer, nothing like conversion,” one Christian volunteer told officers.
At the Sever location behind Vijay Hospital in Bharatpur, Bajrang Dal members staged a protest against a “prayer-assembly” they claimed was aimed at conversion. They raised “Jai Shri Ram” slogans and called in police. The meeting’s organiser fled before the authorities arrived. One Bajrang Dal local functionary asserted the gathering was not a routine worship service but an act of religious inducement.
Police in both districts say they are investigating the incidents in depth. In Dholpur, the station in-charge acknowledged the allegations were serious enough to warrant bringing in some participants for interrogation. In Bharatpur, no arrests have been confirmed and the demonstrators dispersed following police intervention.
These episodes occur amid a charged political and legal climate in Rajasthan. Earlier this month, the state assembly passed the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Bill, 2025, which imposes severe penalties—ranging from seven to 14 years’ imprisonment for fraudulent conversion, and life terms for mass conversions. The law also requires a person to notify the district magistrate before any voluntary conversion, with enhanced penalties for conversions involving minors, women, or those from Scheduled Castes or Tribes.
Critics of the new legislation argue that its provisions create a chilling effect on religious freedom and disproportionately target Christian and Muslim minorities. In several districts across Rajasthan, civil society organisations have documented instances of church closures, harassment of pastors, and vigilante action framing normal religious activities as unlawful conversions—even before the law takes effect.
The protests in Surajpura and Bharatpur mirror a broader pattern across the state: since the bill’s passage, there have been at least nine documented episodes of harassment or mob action against Christian gatherings. Vigilante groups are increasingly framing any religious gathering as potential conversion activity, placing minority communities under heightened scrutiny.
State officials defend the law as necessary to prevent coercion and protect vulnerable individuals. Home Minister Jawahar Singh stated that Article 25 of the Constitution upholds freedom of religion but does not permit deceptive conversion through inducement, coercion or fraud. He added that the state must guard against demographic imbalance and social disharmony.