House of Man Jailed for Alleged Religious Conversion Demolished in Madhya Pradesh, Sparks Outcry
Sehore, Madhya Pradesh: In a move that has triggered widespread criticism from rights groups and Christian organizations, authorities in Madhya Pradesh’s Sehore district demolished parts of the home of Jabbar Khan, a man jailed under the state’s anti-conversion law. The demolition took place on Monday, less than a month after Khan was arrested on allegations of holding Christian prayer meetings and forcibly converting individuals.
According to the United Christian Forum (UCF), the incident began on August 17, when members of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal stormed into a house where a prayer gathering was being held. Video footage, later uploaded to social media by a Bajrang Dal-linked account, showed members confronting the attendees and accusing them of running a “conversion racket.” The video also showed Bibles and other Christian literature in the home.
Jabbar Khan, seen in the video, stated that the house belonged to him and that people of various faiths had been gathering peacefully to pray together for the past two years. However, following the incident, both he and his wife, Tahira Khan, were arrested under the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2021, accused of luring and pressuring people to convert.
Just a day later, on August 18, the local Sehore Municipal Council served a notice to the family demanding building permit documents within 24 hours. With Khan in jail, his son Imroz Khan appealed to the authorities, requesting 15 days to arrange the necessary paperwork. The plea was ignored.
On September 9, a second notice ordered the demolition of an upper floor of the house, calling it an unauthorized structure linked to “religious conversion activities.” The family was given three days to comply.
On September 16, authorities proceeded with demolition, while VHP members shouted slogans like “Jai Shri Ram” during the action. A video celebrating the event, featuring music and political slogans, was later posted by the Bajrang Dal Sehore Instagram account, thanking the district administration and calling the demolition a “success” against “conversion activities.”
Christian rights leaders and legal experts have denounced the demolition as a violation of constitutional protections and judicial guidelines. A.C. Michael, National Coordinator of UCF, said, “This is pure harassment of minorities—be they Christians or Muslims. There are clear Supreme Court and High Court guidelines against such demolitions, yet the state is violating the law with impunity.”
Michael accused the BJP-led state government of weaponizing state machinery to polarize voters: “They’re not afraid of courts. They’re doing this deliberately to target minorities and inflame communal tensions for political gain.”
The Supreme Court of India, in a landmark ruling in November 2025, declared it unconstitutional to demolish any property without following due process, including giving the owner a fair chance to respond through a show-cause notice with at least 15 days to reply. Legal observers say the Sehore demolition appears to violate this ruling.
Rights watchdog Amnesty International, in its 2024 report, had warned of a growing trend in BJP-ruled states of using bulldozers to punish alleged offenders—often from minority communities—without legal justification. The report noted demolitions in states like Assam, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and even the AAP-led Delhi, often followed communal clashes or accusations of religious conversions.
Their investigation documented 128 demolitions between April and June 2022, 63 of which were verified. In 33 cases, victims lost their homes or businesses overnight. Over 600 people, including children and the elderly, were left homeless or destitute.
Meanwhile, violence against Christians continues to rise. According to United Christian Forum data, 245 incidents of violence targeting Christians were reported across 19 states between January and April 2025, with Uttar Pradesh (50) and Chhattisgarh (46) topping the list.
The latest case in Sehore has reignited calls for judicial oversight, with activists demanding immediate intervention by the courts and action against officials who carried out the demolition in violation of legal norms.
