Belgaum Bishop Calls Conversion Accusations Baseless as Officials Stop Gajendragad Parish Project

Belagavi, December 10, 2025 — A dispute over the construction of a priest’s residence and a small church at Holy Family School in Gajendragad has reached the highest levels of state leadership, after Bishop Derek Fernandes of the diocese of Belgaum submitted a formal memorandum to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Home Minister Dr G. Parameshwar and Law Minister H. K. Patil, seeking urgent intervention. The Bishop was accompanied by MLC Ivan D’Souza and Fr Pramod Kumar during the submission.

In his representation, Bishop Fernandes outlined that Holy Family School—established 11 years ago under the Belgaum Diocesan Board of Education and supported by the Bethany Sisters—recently celebrated its first SSLC batch. While the main school is run by the Diocese, the kindergarten section is administered by the Bethany Sisters.

To meet the spiritual needs of the small Catholic community linked to the school, including priests, teachers and students, the Diocese initiated the construction of a presbytery and a modest church on a non-agricultural residential plot under the jurisdiction of the Ramapur Gram Panchayat. The Panchayat had passed a resolution on 10 March 2025 granting permission, with formal approval issued on 24 July. Construction began on 30 October, and foundation work had already been completed.

The project was halted abruptly after a group identifying itself with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) petitioned the Panchayat demanding that the permissions be revoked, alleging that Christian conversion activities were taking place—accusations the Bishop firmly described as baseless and defamatory.

Although the Diocese had complied with all legal requirements for land conversion and construction, Bishop Fernandes reported that officials, including the BEO and PDO, intervened following the objections and directed that the work be stopped. He expressed concern that the Diocese was being “targeted unlawfully” and noted that repeated appeals at the local level had not brought relief.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, joined by Home Minister Dr Parameshwar, assured the delegation that appropriate action would be taken against those creating obstructions and that the matter would receive priority attention to ensure due process and maintain peace in the region.

By Louis Rodrigues