Azad Premsingh Damor, a leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua district, has positioned himself as a key figure in the campaign against Christians in the region. On April 10, 2023, speaking before an audience of about a hundred people in Bhagat Singh Nagar, Damor openly incited communal hostility, declaring that those who had converted to Christianity must be “brought back” and warning that tribal land rights would be lost upon conversion. In his speech he falsely claimed that religious conversion stripped individuals of their legal entitlements, despite the Forest Rights Act, 2006, which guarantees protection for all Scheduled Tribes and forest dwellers regardless of their faith.

Since late 2021, under Damor’s influence, authorities in the BJP-ruled state have issued notices to Christian leaders, demanding they provide details of their congregations, laying the groundwork for legal action under anti-conversion laws. In December 2021, Pastor Ramesh Vasunia of Padalva village was jailed on forced conversion charges, allegedly based on complaints that he promised villagers cash, a motorcycle, and medical care in exchange for conversion.

Despite such inconsistencies, the crackdown has continued, with arrests of pastors and harassment of Christian families under the pretext of fighting “illegal conversions.” Damor has repeatedly claimed that tribal Christians, by embracing another faith, forfeit their cultural identity and government benefits. 

At an event in Full Gawdi in February 2022, he claimed that over 300 people from 212 tribal families had “returned to Hinduism.” A month earlier, in December 2021, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had called for the “protection and propagation of Hindu culture” and urged for the return of converts. Damor took that as a rallying call, intensifying his campaign by targeting local churches and reinforcing the idea that tribal identity is inseparable from Hinduism.

His efforts have been bolstered by the state administration, which has increasingly aligned itself with Hindutva groups. As complaints mounted from Damor and his allies, local authorities legitimized their demands by issuing directives against Christians. 

With each passing year, Damor has cemented himself as one of the most vocal figures in the Hindutva machinery operating in Jhabua, using a mix of legal intimidation, public mobilization, and state backing to further the persecution of religious minorities.