Christian missionaries are active in the Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh. They are running schools and hostels where children are being converted to Christianity in the name of education. One such nexus has come to light in Ghutas village of Mandla, where a school named Sign For India has been operating an illegal hostel where 15 girls and 33 boys from the tribal community have already been converted. Notably, the school does not have permission to run a hostel.
The Madhya Pradesh Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MPCPCR) found that these children had been systematically brainwashed and coerced into accepting Christianity. The school is being run without permission by one Jyoti Raj, who hails from Odisha. The Commission has taken the matter seriously and forwarded the details to the Bhopal headquarters and to the administration for strict action.
Brainwashing and religious books found with children
Speaking to OpIndia, Commission member Omkar Singh said that 48 children had been brought from Damoh, Anuppur, Odisha and nearby regions. The team spoke to the children, and the revelations made by them were shocking. Instead of saying that they wanted to become doctors or engineers, many of them wished to become pastors and nuns. The children themselves confessed that they had been told to embrace Christianity. Singh said that it was evident their minds were completely rewired. Bibles and several other religious texts were found on the school premises, which were clear proof that religious indoctrination was being carried out at the school.
Prayers held underground, not in the open
The Commission found a bizarre trend — that prayers at the school were not being held in the open, which is the norm in schools, but in an underground space. The team recorded videos of children praying and their conversations with the members of the Commission. Everything has been sent to Bhopal HQ and local officials as part of the evidence.
District Programme Coordinator (DPC) K.K. Upadhyay said that there were suspicions about the school. When the team arrived, it was found that children had Bibles in their hands while entering the prayer room. The children revealed that they participated in Christian prayers daily at 6:30 p.m., and earlier, they used to follow another religion.
CCTV cameras found in girls’ bathrooms
Another shocking discovery made by the team was the presence of CCTV cameras installed in girls’ bathrooms, which is a highly objectionable violation. Another member of the Child Rights Commission, Dr Nivedita Sharma, revealed that on school documents, the children’s religion was mentioned as Hindu and caste as Gond. However, in hostel records, they were mentioned as Christians. Several documents were found to be missing from the records.
The Commission has rescued 15 girls and 33 boys who were brought from Mandla, Odisha and Anuppur and were forced to participate in religious activities without the consent of their parents.
Gond and Baiga tribal children targeted
Speaking to OpIndia, local social worker Tarendra Chaurasia said that religious symbols such as kalawa and tilak were removed. The Gond and Baiga tribal children were fully converted to Christianity. They pray to Jesus, hold Bibles, and follow Christian rituals. The Baiga tribe, which is already facing extinction in many regions, is reportedly being aggressively targeted by such missionaries.
Chaurasia said, “The biggest concern is that even Baiga tribal children, along with other tribal kids, have been converted here. They are being made to pray without any parental consent, and even their school forms list them as Christians. Christian missionaries have turned Mandla, a tribal district, into a hotbed of conversion, and similar patterns are visible in almost every missionary-run school.”
The videos and photos linked to the case have been forwarded for further action. Shockingly, in a backward village of barely 100 families, missionaries have pumped in crores to set up a school and offer dirt-cheap education — which raises suspicion about their motive and who is funding such missionaries.
This case is a clear indication that it is a well-organised operation by Christian missionaries. They are running a school without permission, brainwashing children, and forcing religious conversion — which is a serious crime. The main accused, Jyoti Raj from Odisha, is now facing growing demands for strict action. Authorities have been approached to take decisive steps.
This report was first published by OpIndia Hindi which can be checked here.
