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Villagers alleged that religious conversions could take place under the guise of a church.

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Residents of Gurgaon’s Teekli village and nearby areas on Friday held a mahapanchayat or assembly to oppose the construction of a church on about two acres of agricultural land, according to a report by The Tribune.

Leaders of several Hindu organisations, including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, attended the meeting and said the construction would not be allowed. A 52-member committee was formed and is expected to meet the Gurugram Deputy Commissioner on Monday to submit a memorandum addressed to the Haryana Chief Minister, participants said.

Villagers alleged that religious conversions could take place under the guise of a church. They said representatives of the church had assured a previous mahapanchayat, held about two months ago, that no construction would occur on the land, but activity has increased over the past month.

The meeting, held at a government school in Teekli, drew representatives from Noorpur, Aklimpur, Badshahpur, Palra, Gairatpur Bas and Kherkhi Baghniki villages, and was chaired by senior villager Kishor Singh.

Speakers questioned the need for a religious structure, saying the Christian population in the area was less than one per cent among nearly 10,000 Hindu families. VHP member Yashwant Shekhawat and Bajrang Dal leader Surendra Tawar said there were no Christian families living nearby.

Teekli sarpanch Sandeep Kumar alleged procedural violations in the land-use process. He said an initial application for change of land use (CLU) after the land was purchased from a farmer was rejected, followed by assurances that no church would be built. “Later, CLU was obtained and construction began,” he said, adding that villagers would oppose the project.

An advocate associated with a Hindu organisation also addressed the gathering, opposing the construction in Teekli and surrounding areas.