MUMBAI, India – Around 50 members of the Bajrang Dal – a Hindu nationalist group – protested at the Hindustan Bible Institute (HBI) in Pratap Nagar in Jaipur, the capital of the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan.

The incident happened on Sep. 23, and the group was protesting alleged forced religious conversions.

The protest occurred while an inspection visit was underway by two officials of HBI—one from its Chennai headquarters and another from the city of Banswara.

The Bajrang Dal accused the two visiting officials of engaging in conversion activities and resorted to “hooliganism.” Acting on the complaint, police detained the Christian men, seized their phones, and confiscated documents from the Institute, including property papers. They also took away the telephone, laptops, and a pen drive.

Later the same evening, a group civil society organizations have expressed concern over the rising incidents of attacks against Christians, noting that nine such incidents have been reported in September alone, since the Anti-Conversion Bill was tabled and passed in the Rajasthan Assembly on Sep. 9.

Two incidents in the state capital Jaipur occurred in Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma’s own constituency in Sanganer.

“This is the constituency of the Chief Minister, this is the second incident since the Anti Conversion Bill, these attacks are mainly in Pentecostal communities, but the Catholic Church too is falsely accused of conversions allegations,” said Bishop John Carvalho of the Ajmer Diocese in Rajasthan.

“Largely, the majority community is respectful and appreciative of our selfless service, but the few radical elements in majority community is using attacks for political reasons. However, the majority community is being served by our Educational Apostolate, and the Catholic Church continues to work towards nation building through our Educational, Welfare and Health care Apostolate,” the bishop told Crux.

The group civil society organizations in the state lamented the continuing problems caused by Hindu nationalists.

“This situation reflects the officials’ disregard for peace and harmony in the city,” the organizations said in a statement, demanding the arrest of the perpetrators, who they alleged are linked to the Bajrang Dal.

The civil society groups that issued the statement include the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Jaipur Christian Fellowship, Rajasthan Samagra Sewa Sangh, Association for Protection of Civil Rights, Rajasthan Baudh Maha Sangh, National Federation of Indian Women, All India Democratic Women’s Association, Daman Pratirodh Andolan (Rajasthan), Buddhist Society of India, Jamaat-e-Islami (Rajasthan), Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, and Dalit Muslim Ekta Manch, PUCL national president Kavita Srivastava said.

John Mathew and Sawai Singh of the Jaipur Christian Fellowship said that the Hindustan Bible Institute (HBI) in Pratap Nagar, which trains pastors and church leaders, faced protests by Bajrang Dal activists, who suspected the institute of engaging in conversions.

The protesters alleged that the visitors to the institute had come to carry out conversions and began indulging in hooliganism.

Following a complaint at the Pratap Nagar police station, the police allegedly siding with Bajrang Dal activists, took the two visiting HBI representatives to the station on the pretext of an inquiry.

India has a population of over 1.4 billion people, and the vast majority – around 80 percent – are Hindu. Christians make up just 2.3 percent of the population, a number that has remained unchanged for decades despite accusations of “forced conversion” by Hindu nationalists.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has also ruled India since 2014. The BJP is linked with the the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist group. The VHP is also associated with the RSS.

Hindu nationalists often accuse Christians of using force and surreptitious tactics in pursuing conversions, and such “illegal conversions” can be punished with fines and jail time.

The state of Rajasthan has an even higher average number of Hindus – nearly 90 percent – and it Christian population is just 0.14 percent. The state is also ruled by the BJP.