Article 14 maps Bajrang Dal disruptions of Mumbai-area prayer services
An August 13, 2026 Article 14 investigation counted at least 14 incidents (March 29–August 9) in which Bajrang Dal and affiliated groups interrupted, intimidated, or attacked small independent congregations in Mumbai and nearby cities, often after Instagram tips and with police present. Four FIRs against pastors/members used Maharashtra’s anti-superstition law (anticonversion only took effect late July). Some police statements found no forced conversion. This brief records the documented pattern and dual FIRs, not a court finding of organized persecution.
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An August 13, 2026 Article 14 investigation counted at least 14 incidents between March 29 and August 9 in which Bajrang Dal and affiliated groups interrupted, intimidated, or attacked small independent congregations in Mumbai and nearby cities, often after Instagram tips and with police present. Article 14 reviewed FIRs, news reports, and social-media video. Police in Mumbai and Vasai had registered four FIRs against pastors or members — not under Maharashtra’s anticonversion statute, which Article 14 said took effect only on July 30, 2026, but under the state’s 2013 anti-superstition and black-magic law. Three FIRs were registered against Bajrang Dal members. Some police statements found no forced conversion. This brief records that documented pattern and the dual FIRs. It is not a court finding of organized persecution.
On July 19 in Marol, police registered an FIR against Bajrang Dal members after a demonstration outside an Assembly of Believers hotel service. In Vasai, activists entered a Masih Ekta Foundation hall; both sides later had FIRs. In Malad, a pastor was booked under the anti-superstition law after a May 10 disruption; a state home minister later said an inquiry found no forced conversion. At Ghatkopar’s Immanuel Worship Ministry in June, an assistant pastor and others were booked. On August 9 at a Bhayandar banquet hall used by Ashish Prarthana Ghar, senior inspector Jitendra Kamble said police found no forcible conversion.
Bajrang Dal member Nilesh Singh told Article 14 the group now uses a “legal route” and that “the government listens to us.” Pastor Shalom Massey said their services do not demean other religions. Churches have been advised to use CCTV, member IDs, and registers; rented venues have become harder to keep, Article 14 reported. Faith & World Brief earlier covered Mumbai churches collecting worship consent forms after Maharashtra’s anticonversion law and the Kalewadi church demolition. Those items describe the same climate. This brief does not treat them as the cause of each disruption.
Sources
Article 14: ‘Now The Govt Listens To Us’: The Bajrang Dal Is Escalating Attacks On Mumbai’s Independent Churches (Aug 13, 2026)
https://tribe.article-14.com/post/-now-the-govt-listens-to-us-the-bajrang-dal-is-escalating-attacks-on-mumbai-s-independent-churches-6a7d39980bd46Archived copy
Corrections and updates
- Update, September 14, 2026: Brief prepared from Article 14’s August 13 investigation. Incident count (at least 14), FIR split (four against pastors/members, three against Bajrang Dal), and examples are Article 14’s. Article 14 dated Maharashtra’s Freedom of Religion Act to July 30, 2026; earlier FWB briefs dated that start to August 28. This brief does not adjudicate the start date. Consent-form and Kalewadi items are thematic climate only.