Visually impaired woman manhandled by BJP leader in Madhya Pradesh speaks out: ‘Celebrating Christmas doesn’t mean I’ve changed religion’
A video from last week showed BJP’s Jabalpur district vice-president Anju Bhargava engaged in a skirmish with a visually-impaired woman after she entered the church premises in Jabalpur’s Katanga area, claiming that children were being converted to Christianity.
For years, the Christmas lunch at Prince of Peace Church in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur was something she looked forward to — a festive meal, companionship, and the warmth of community during the holiday season. This year, it ended with a senior BJP leader abusing and manhandling her while levelling allegations of religious conversion.
A video from last week showed BJP’s Jabalpur district vice-president Anju Bhargava engaged in a skirmish with a visually-impaired woman after she entered the church premises in Jabalpur’s Katanga area, claiming that children were being converted to Christianity.
The visually-impaired woman at the centre of Saturday’s confrontation, a school teacher’s wife who dreams of becoming a teacher herself, says she never imagined that attending a Christmas celebration would land her in the middle of allegations of religious conversion, physical intimidation, and a potential police case.
“I came on an invitation for a Christmas lunch. This woman, who I am now told is a BJP leader, had spoken to my niece in a very humiliating way. She asked her why she was present at the event. She abuses us. I was stunned at the time,” the woman said.
She is clear about why she attends the annual Christmas event.
“I come for the Christmas lunch every year because I like it, not because there is some kind of religious conversion going on. There is no pressure or inducement of any kind on us.”
She has pushed back against the narrative that has emerged from right-wing organisations, who have filed complaints questioning how students from a government hostel were brought to a religious site without authorisation.
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“Just because I come to celebrate Christmas doesn’t mean that I have changed my religion. We should celebrate all festivals and I see nothing wrong with that. We are not disrespecting any religion,” she said.
The Jabalpur unit of the BJP has issued a show-cause notice to Bhargava asking her to explain her actions. Said Mahanagar president Rakesh Sonkar: “We have asked Anju Bharava to explain her actions as seen in the video. She has been given seven days to explain her conduct”.
Bhargava has defended her actions, stating she received information from local activists that visually-impaired women were being “held against their will” in a dilapidated structure near the church. Police have meanwhile said no FIR has been lodged in the case.
Pastor Gloria of Prince of Peace Church offers a starkly different account. “The blind mission people were using our premises. They came to our church and did their programme. We did not charge them,” she explains. “The blind mission has participants from all religions. During Christmas we give gifts to everyone and not just Christians.”
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According to the pastor, the group arrived at the church and immediately began making accusations. “We don’t know who gave them the report. They just came and stood and then began accusing us of religious conversion.” She alleges that Bhargava physically confronted the visually-impaired woman and that church staff were also assaulted. “They tried to force us to give statements,” she adds, noting that this was the first time such an incident had occurred at the church.
Now, the visually-impaired woman is wondering if she should file a police complaint. “I will speak to my relatives and take a call on whether I want to fight this case,” she said.
Anand Mohan J is an award-winning Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently leading the bureau’s coverage of Madhya Pradesh. With a career spanning over eight years, he has established himself as a trusted voice at the intersection of law, internal security, and public policy.
Based in Bhopal, Anand is widely recognized for his authoritative reporting on Maoist insurgency in Central India. In late 2025, he provided exclusive, ground-level coverage of the historic surrender of the final Maoist cadres in Madhya Pradesh, detailing the backchannel negotiations and the "vacuum of command" that led to the state being declared Maoist-free.
Expertise and Reporting Beats
Anand’s investigative work is characterized by a "Journalism of Courage" approach, holding institutions accountable through deep-dive analysis of several key sectors:
National Security & Counter-Insurgency: He is a primary chronicler of the decline of Naxalism in the Central Indian corridor, documenting the tactical shifts of security forces and the rehabilitation of surrendered cadres.
Judiciary & Legal Accountability: Drawing on over four years of experience covering Delhi’s trial courts and the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Anand deconstructs complex legal rulings. He has exposed critical institutional lapses, including custodial safety violations and the misuse of the National Security Act (NSA).
Wildlife Conservation (Project Cheetah): Anand is a leading reporter on Project Cheetah at Kuno National Park. He has provided extensive coverage of the biological and administrative hurdles of rewilding Namibian and South African cheetahs, as well as high-profile cases of wildlife trafficking.
Public Health & Social Safety: His recent investigative work has uncovered systemic negligence in public services, such as contaminated blood transfusions causing HIV infections in thalassemia patients and the human cost of the fertilizer crisis affecting rural farmers.
Professional Background
Tenure: Joined The Indian Express in 2017.
Locations: Transitioned from the high-pressure Delhi City beat (covering courts, police, and labor issues) to his current role as a regional lead in Madhya Pradesh.
Notable Investigations: * Exposed the "digital arrest" scams targeting entrepreneurs.
Investigated the Bandhavgarh elephant deaths and the impact of kodo millet fungus on local wildlife.
Documented the transition of power and welfare schemes (like Ladli Behna) in Madhya Pradesh governance.
Digital & Professional Presence
Author Profile: Anand Mohan J at Indian Express
Twitter handle: @mohanreports ... Read More
