District administration in Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari has ordered an investigation into a 115-year-old Christian hospital following complaints from Bajrang Dal, Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and other Hindutva organisations. The groups have accused the Bathena Christian Hospital of medical negligence and forced religious conversion.
The hospital was established in 1910 by American Mennonite missionaries and is recognised as the oldest hospital in Chhattisgarh. Originally founded as a unit of the Mennonite Medical Board, the 250-bedded multi-specialty facility has served 10 districts including Dhamtari, Balod, Raipur, Rajnandgaon, Kanker, Bastar, Durg, Kondagaon, Dantewada and Gariaband, along with adjoining areas of Odisha.
During the 1918-1920 Spanish Flu pandemic, the hospital served humanity despite limited medical resources available at that time. The institution has remained self-supporting, though it maintains connections with American Mennonite friends and welcomes medical personnel for short-term assignments.
The probe comes after Hindu organisation members specifically targeted the hospital premises on July 27, vandalising property, damaging equipment and misbehaving with doctors during their protest. Despite the targeted attack, no action has been taken against the perpetrators. Instead, authorities launched an investigation into the hospital itself, effectively legitimising the methods used by the groups.
The hospital, known for providing affordable medical care, has faced repeated targeting by Hindu groups in recent months. This was not the first such incident; on June 28, VHP workers had created a ruckus for about three hours, forcibly entering the hospital, putting up flags, smearing the ground with cow dung, and damaging wheelchairs and CCTV cameras. The hospital filed police complaints about both incidents of vandalism, but authorities remained inactive against the perpetrators.
Chief Medical Officer Uttam Kaushik told the media that “investigation has been launched against the hospital based on complaints from VHP, Bajrang Dal and others.” He confirmed that besides medical negligence, conversion allegations prompted district administration officials to join the inquiry team specifically to examine religious conversion claims.
This story was originally published in christianpost.com. Read the full story here.