A case of evangelical activities taking place in a school has come to light in Jangipura locality of Dabra town in the Gwalior district of Madhya Pradesh.
The matter grabbed the attention of the authorities after a parent, whose son was enrolled in the Nava Kanti School (a Navodaya School located in Ward No. 18), flagged the Christian missionary activities taking place in the school.
An FIR was registered by the police under Section 5 of the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2021, on 29th August this year in the Itarsi Police Station, based on the information provided by the complainant. Three persons, namely, Shyamnayaran, Revika Nanda, and Denzil have been booked in the FIR.
According to the FIR, which was accessed by OpIndia, for the past year, some teachers have been preaching Christianity in the school and luring students and their parents to convert to Christianity by offering them jobs and other opportunities.
The complainant came to know about the Christian activities when his son told him that the school teachers talked about Jesus and Christianity. His son also said that the school principal was aware of these activities.
The complainant added that the teachers gave religious sermons to the students, in violation of government rules, and praised Jesus and the Christian religion. He said that he has been noticing such activities in the school for a long time.
Two people found distributing Christian literature in the school
The FIR states that on August 25, 2025, the complainant went to the school accompanied by a friend. After reaching the school, he saw two mysterious men present in the school, and the students were given literature relating to Christianity.
According to the complainant, the two men approached him and handed him a Bible. They praised Jesus and Christianity and asked him to convert to Christianity in return for a job and money.
In the meantime, an education department official, Deepak Chaukotia, and some members of Hindu organisations, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal, also reached there.
The members of the Hindu organisations confronted the education department official for not conducting regular inspection of the schools, because of which such activities. A video of the members’s confrontation with the education department official has been doing the rounds on social media.
They seized the literarure related to Christianity found in the school and handed it over to the education department official, who sealed it in an almirah.
SDM formed a committee to investigate the matter
After receiving a complaint regarding the Christian activities in the school, the SDM formed a three-member committee to look into the matter. The committee reportedly found several irregularities in the school during the investigation. The names of the principal and the director of the school are Anil Nigam and Abrahim Kranti, respectively. Since 2012, the school has been managed by the Nava Kanti Committee. It is affiliated with the Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education. In 2025, the affiliation of the school was renewed. Currently, around 70 students are enrolled in the school in different classes. An NGO had been running a vocational training centre in the school, but there were no trained staff or teachers. Two people were found living in the residential quarters inside the school.