Chhot Singh Dhurve (pictured) is one of seven Christians who have begun serving five-year prison sentences under Madhya Pradesh’s anti-conversion laws, two years after they were falsely accused at a child’s birthday party.
Amit Kumar (24), Sanjay Markam (20), Santosh Paraste (21), Jeet Singh (48), Pramod Singh (28), Chhot Singh Dhurve (49) and Karan Singh Maravi (40) were convicted of “promoting enmity, hatred, or disharmony between different religious groups” and “deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings” under the Indian Penal Code and “luring people to convert” under Madhya Pradesh state’s anti-conversion law.
On 12 June Justice Shiv Kumar Kaushal sentenced each of the seven Christians to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 rupees (approximately €915) and sent them to Dindori District Jail. They had been arrested in April 2024 after neighbouring villager Angad Singh Maravi, a follower of traditional indigenous religion, disrupted the birthday party they were attending and accused them of luring local people to convert.
“By entangling these six pastors in a false case, opponents have succeeded in shutting down churches at six locations, scattering the believers and instilling fear in them,” a source told Morning Star News.
Six of the imprisoned Christians are pastors who led congregations in local villages, while a source told Morning Star News that the seventh, Jeet Singh, “is a professing Christian, and his family was the first to came to Christ in Pipariya village, about seven years ago”.
Birthday party arrests
On 27 April 2024 the seven Christians, along with other villagers, attended a fifth birthday party for the daughter of Suday Singh Maravi, who told the trial court that he had not invited his cousin Angad Singh Maravi.
Suday Singh Maravi testified that he phoned police after Angad Singh Maravi offered villagers alcohol, caused a commotion at the party and threatened to beat the Christians present. Some reports said a mob of between one hundred and 150 extremists surrounded the house, shouting threats and slogans.
When police arrived they arrested the seven Christians and the following day they questioned the girl’s parents, who confirmed that the gathering was a purely social occasion.
Angad Singh Maravi alleged in his complaint that the Christians had been repeatedly “offering allurement” to local residents to convert. He claimed that when the six pastors arrived at the birthday party on three motorbikes and were standing outside he heard them saying, “Start praying in the name of Jesus and adopt Christianity. You will also get money.”
He also alleged that village head Angad Banwasi, sub-village head Dinesh Rajput and his sister-in-law Matiya Bai were near the house at the time and heard the Christians telling Suday Singh Maravi, “Join us in Christianity. You will get a lot of money and wealth, your poverty will be removed, and all your troubles will go away… If you people do not accept Christianity, then I will trouble you so much along with my companions that one day you will be forced to join us, and you will see how long your god helps you.”
Suday Singh Maravi testified in court, however, that no “Christian religion propaganda” was going on in his house.
A brother of one of the accused, speaking on condition of anonymity, commented: “When the host himself is denying that he or his wife was lured in any way at the birthday celebration, how can the court believe an outsider’s statement, who wasn’t an official invitee to the party and was actually a troublemaker to the host?”
Pastor Kumar and Jeet Singh were released on bail on 6 May 2024, while the remaining five Christians were released three days later. The charge sheet was filed against them on 31 December 2024, and the charges were framed on 26 November 2025.
While a convicted person can be released on bail pending appeal, the bail amounts in the case are too high – Rakesh Rajdwar, a Christian leader from Dindori who is helping the seven families, told Morning Star News: “The total bail amount is 700,000 rupees, which is a huge sum of money for these poor families to arrange. With this judgement, their families are shattered, and these men were the sole breadwinners. Once the money is arranged, we will apply for their bail.”
(Morning Star News, Barnabas Aid)
Photo: Morning Star News