10 detained for disrupting Christian event in Gujarat, police find no conversion activities

Ten members of the Agniveer Hindu Sanstha, a self-styled organisation active in South Gujarat, were detained on Wednesday for attempting to disrupt a Christian gathering in Junnar village in Dang district, claiming religious conversions were being conducted. 

The event, organised by the Christian community over three days with official permissions, featured preaching by Sister Prerna from Lucknow and local leaders, and drew attendees from across Tapi and Dang.

On the final evening, the Agniveer group allegedly tried to storm the venue while shouting slogans but were stopped and detained by police present at the spot. 

Deputy SP S J Patil said, “We verified the permissions and recorded the event; no illegal activity or conversion was found.” 

Those detained, including Agniveer’s General Secretary Mahendra Rajpurohit, were later released after their statements were recorded.

Pastor Raman Chaudhary, the organiser, confirmed the event had the village sarpanch and collector’s approval, adding that the annual gathering aims to offer spiritual teachings to local tribal communities. 

The incident has highlighted growing tensions over religious events in the region, although authorities have ruled out any unlawful conduct in this case.