More than 40 Chhattisgarh churches now admit only Christians to worship.

According to International Christian Concern (ICC), in a report dated September 28, 2026, more than 40 churches in Dhamtari district, Chhattisgarh, have limited worship to Christians. Among them is the 116-year-old Sunderganj Mennonite Church. Hindi notice boards warn that non-Christians enter "strictly at their own risk."

What happened

• The decision followed a meeting on September 15, with the new Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act (2026) in force.
• Hindu nationalist groups demanded legal barriers to non-Christians entering churches and had been disrupting services with conversion allegations.
• More than a thousand non-Christians signed voluntary declarations that they attend the churches of their own free will.

The district Christian forum calls the measure a "precaution" to protect congregations. It is a painful decision: worship open to all is part of the church's witness, and ICC expects the rule could end up challenged in court for affecting religious freedom.

Why it matters

The law was meant to punish forced conversions, but in practice it gives radical groups the power to accuse anyone who simply visits a church. Christian communities respond by closing in, which weighs on a people who often lived on good terms with their neighbors.

Background: the situation of Christians in India in numbers and maps