There was a mixed response to the day-long ‘Chhattisgarh Bandh’ called by the Sarva Hindu Samaj against alleged religious conversions and a recent clash over the burial of a person from a converted family in Kanker district of the Bastar region.
On December 18, several people including over 20 police personnel were injured in violence and articles inside a prayer hall burnt at Bade Teoda village in the State’s Kanker district following a dispute between two communities over the burial of a deceased man. While Rajman Salam, the village Sarpanch and the son of the deceased, buried his father in his own private land, villagers objected to it.
Wednesday’s (December 24, 2025) bandh was called by right wing groups to protest against what they claimed was an inadequate response by the Kanker police and to draw attention to the ‘larger issue of conversions ‘.
The impact of the Bandh was more visible in the cities, including Raipur. In Raipur, agitators allegedly vandalised Christmas decorations put on display at a mall.
Protests were held at district headquarters across the State, and memorandums addressed to the Governor and the Chief Minister were submitted to district administration officials, demanding the enactment of a stringent anti-conversion law.
Chhattisgarh Congress spokesperson Sushil Anand Shukla alleged that the bandh was government and RSS-sponsored.
Published – December 25, 2025 01:28 am IST
