A government school teacher was arrested on Thursday under the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Ordinance 2020 for allegedly luring and coercing a group of villagers to convert to Christianity in Balaghat district, 431 km east of Bhopal, police said
The teacher was arrested from Balaghat district, 431 km east of Bhopal, (Representationa Photo/Getty Images)
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The teacher was identified as Chhatar Singh Katre, a resident of Lalbarra tehsil of the district.
Balaghat's superintendent of police, (SP) Abhishek Tiwari said, “Three villagers of Balaghat district lodged a complaint that Katre organized a prayer meeting at his home on Wednesday and invited 35 people from nearby villages. In the meeting, Katre lured the participants by saying that if they adopt Christianity, they will get ₹10,000 each. If they refuse to do so, God will be unhappy and something bad will happen to them.”
Police arrested Katre under section 3 and 5 of MP Freedom of Religion Ordinance 2020. He was produced in a court which sent him to judicial remand, said inspector Raghunath Khatarkar who is an investigating officer.
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Earlier on Tuesday, 11 people had been booked in Indore under the Ordinance for forcing a woman for conversion.
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Earlier on Tuesday, 11 people had been booked in Indore under the Ordinance for forcing a woman for conversion.
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This is the fourth case registered under the new ordinance in Madhya Pradesh.
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.
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