The incident occurred at a church located behind Hawabagh Women’s College, where members of several right-wing organisations, accompanied by BJP district vice-president Anju Bhargava, entered the premises alleging that visually impaired children were being coerced into religious conversion. The allegations triggered a confrontation inside the church, culminating in scenes later captured on mobile phones and widely circulated on social media.

The viral footage shows Bhargava confronting a visually impaired woman seated inside the church. At one point, Bhargava is seen holding the woman’s face and engaging in a heated exchange. The woman responds by grabbing and twisting Bhargava’s arm, repeatedly asking her not to touch her and to speak without physical contact. Other people present intervene as tempers flare, following which police arrive at the spot and defuse the situation.

According to police officials, the gathering involved visually impaired students who had been invited for a meal as part of Christmas-related charitable outreach by members of the Christian community. The students told officials that they had been brought from a government-run hostel for lunch and prayers, and denied any attempt at religious conversion. “At this stage, there is no evidence of forced conversion. Statements of the students are being recorded,” a senior police officer said, adding that the children were safely sent back after the commotion.

Right-wing organisations have however lodged a complaint, questioning how students from a government hostel were taken to a religious site without prior intimation to authorities. They have also alleged that prayers conducted at the venue were exclusively Christian in nature and claimed that non-vegetarian food was served.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Bhargava defended her actions, stating that she had gone to the spot after receiving information from local activists that visually impaired women were being “held against their will” in a dilapidated structure near the church. She claimed that some “visually impaired women complained they wanted to leave and alleged irregularities” in how the programme was organised. Bhargava also asserted that “she herself was assaulted during the confrontation, but no complaint was filed by her side because the woman involved was blind.”

This is the second such incident in Jabalpur this week. On Sunday morning, a prayer service at a church in Madhotal descended into chaos after members of a right-wing organisation entered the premises, leading to violent confrontations and multiple detentions.

The confrontation occurred around 11 am at a church near Shiv Shakti Nagar, where a prayer meeting was underway. What began as questioning about the size and composition of the congregation quickly escalated into physical violence, with chairs thrown and slogans shouted inside the place of worship.

Members of the Hindu Seva Parishad allege they approached the church after receiving information about an unusually large gathering that included attendees from outside districts. They claim they were questioning potential religious conversion activities when violence erupted.

Worshippers present at the service tell a markedly different story. They assert that 15 to 20 young men forcibly entered the church during prayers, chanting “Jai Shri Ram” and creating panic among the congregation.

Jitendra Barman, who was present during the incident, stated: “Worship of the Lord happens in the church, not conversion. For years, people have been coming here of their own will and praying. Today when the prayer meeting was going on, young men barged in shouting. They assaulted women and children.”

Police said several youths were detained for creating a disturbance, and investigators are working to establish the sequence of events based on testimonies from both sides.