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Illegal church in Solapur operating for 25 years finally sealed; Hindu organisations welcome move

Municipal clerk draws government salary while running conversion hub; Hindu organisations demand immediate arrest

Solapur, Maharashtra – The Solapur Municipal Corporation administration has finally sealed the illegal church that had been operating openly for the past 25 years in the Samaj Mandir (community temple) of the MHADA complex in Bapujinagar. Hindu Janajagruti Samiti and other pro-Hindu organisations have welcomed this decisive action. 

However, merely sealing the premises does not end the matter. Hindu organisations have put a firm question to the administration—when will Christian pastor Dattatreya Kanepagul alias Yehan Mark, the main mastermind of this conversion racket who obtained government employment by fraudulently availing Hindu reservation benefits and thereby deceiving the state government, be arrested? This demand was raised at a joint press conference held in Solapur on 4 September. 

Present at the press conference were  Prakash Asade (Hindu Rashtra Sena), Advocate Chandrashekhar Varad (Rashtrabhakt Advocate Samiti), Rajan Bunge (Solapur District Co-ordinator, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti), Ravi Gone (City President, Hindu Rashtra Sena), Anand Musale (City Organiser, Hindu Rashtra Sena) and Varsha Jevle (Solapur, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti).

Municipal employee fraudulently obtains job under Hindu caste quota while acting as Christian pastor

Dattatreya Kanepagul is employed as a clerk in the Health Department of the Solapur Municipal Corporation. He obtained the government job by availing the reservation benefits of the ‘Hindu Mochi’ caste. In reality, however, having adopted Christianity, he has been conducting conversion activities as a pastor of the ‘Jesus Gospel Society’ church under the name ‘Yehan Mark’. This is not only a fraud against the state government but also a serious violation of the rights of the genuinely backward classes. Therefore, this fraudulent employee should be permanently dismissed from service immediately; in addition, the salary and all government benefits drawn by him so far should be recovered with compound interest. This was the stand expressed by the office-bearers of the organisations. 

Evidence destroyed overnight; demands for criminal cases and cancellation of trust registration

As soon as they got wind of the action, these people removed the cross from the church overnight to destroy evidence and mislead the administration. Apart from the illegal use of government property, Kanepagul installed loudspeakers there and ridiculed Hindu Deities in an extremely vulgar manner. This deliberately created religious tension in the area and deceived simple, poor Hindus. Taking cognisance of these serious offences, the administration should immediately register criminal cases against him and the office-bearers of the ‘Jesus Gospel Society’ under the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Anti-conversion Law and the Scheduled Castes Verification Act for concealing information and destroying evidence. In addition, for the open violation of the terms of the lease, the Charity Commissioner should immediately cancel the trust recognition of the ‘Jesus Gospel Society’ (Registration No. F-15287) — this demand was also made on the occasion.

Call for statewide probe into conversion funding; warning of agitation if mastermind not arrested

A thorough investigation by the state government is extremely necessary into who is really behind this large conspiracy of trapping simple and poor Hindus in the conversion net by offering the lure of money, and from where the funds for it are coming. Furthermore, if such misuse of community temples is taking place anywhere else in the state, that too should be investigated immediately. If the administration does not arrest Pastor Dattatreya Kanepagul at once without giving him protection, an intense agitation will be launched on the streets by Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, Hindu Rashtra Sena and other Hindu organisations — this clear warning was issued on the occasion.

Probe ordered into unauthorised Solapur Church and Municipal employee misconduct

July 1, 2026

  • Major victory for the persistent struggle of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti and Hindu Rashtra Sena

  • Law and Judiciary Minister Ashish Jaiswal directs Solapur Collector to submit detailed enquiry report

Solapur, Maharashtra – Following consistent follow-up by the ‘Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS)’ and the ‘Hindu Rashtra Sena’, the Solapur Municipal Corporation (SMC) and the Maharashtra State Government have initiated strict action into the illegal conversion of a government building into a church, and the alleged malpractices of an SMC employee. 

Solapur Municipal Commissioner Dr Sachin Ombase (IAS) has ordered a thorough investigation into Dattatray Kanepagul, alias Yehan Mark Kanepagul, a clerk in the SMC health department. Kanepagul is accused of illegally using a government community centre (Samaj Mandir) at Bapuji Nagar as a church, inciting religious tension, and securing a government job by exploiting reservations meant for the Hindu community. The Commissioner has directed the Deputy Commissioner of the General Administration Department, Mrs Sonali Yadav, to submit a detailed report immediately.  

Relentless struggle by Hindu organisations 

The Hindu Rashtra Sena and Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) had been relentlessly pursuing this serious matter for several years. Taking swift note of its gravity, Solapur’s former minister and current MLA, Shri Subhash Deshmukh, aggressively demanded a time-bound enquiry from the SMC Commissioner. This political intervention, combined with the long-drawn struggle of Hindu organisations, has yielded this major success.

Law and Judiciary Minister intervenes; orders probe 

Representatives of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti submitting a memorandum to Minister of State for Law and Justice, Ashish Jaiswal

Considering the social sensitivity of the matter, Maharashtra’s Minister of State for Law and Judiciary, Ashish Jaiswal, directly intervened and ordered the Solapur District Collector to probe the entire matter comprehensively and submit a report. With both the SMC Commissioner and the State Minister initiating simultaneous probes, a 360-degree, multi-angled investigation has now been guaranteed. 

Encroachment, reservation fraud, and insult to national icons

The SMC had leased this hall strictly for social, cultural, and educational activities. However, even though the lease period has long expired, all conditions were thrown to the wind to illegally transform the public property into a ‘Church’. This gave rise to serious complaints about blaring loudspeakers, forced conversions of underprivileged Hindus, and derogatory remarks hurting religious sentiments.

Furthermore, the main accused SMC employee, Dattatraya Kanepagul, secured his government job by utilising the reservation meant for the ‘Hindu Mochi’ community, but he is currently practising as a Christian and serving as the Chief Pastor of the ‘Jesus Gospel Society’. Enjoying dual benefits while actively propagating Christianity during government service constitutes a serious offence of defrauding the state.

To make matters worse, local residents are strictly barred from celebrating the birth anniversaries of Bharat Ratna Dr B.R. Ambedkar and Jamamuni Maharaj inside this public hall, while highly objectionable speeches are repeatedly made via loudspeakers against Hindu deities in a calculated attempt to dismantle regional communal harmony. 

Key demands of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti

The Hindu Janajagruti Samiti has put forth the following key demands to the administration:

  • Immediate Sealing: The lease agreement of the ‘Jesus Gospel Society’ with the Municipal Corporation must be cancelled, the structure must be sealed immediately, and it should be reopened for the public use of ordinary citizens.
  • Termination of Service: SMC employee Kanepagul should be terminated from service immediately for violating the ‘Maharashtra Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1979’.
  • Criminal Action: His caste certificate must be re-verified, and strict criminal cases should be registered against him for defrauding the government by misusing Scheduled Caste (SC) reservations.

“We welcome the enquiry orders issued by the administration and the Minister for Law and Judiciary. The administration must now act swiftly without any delay, seal the unauthorised church structure within the next 15 days, and take strict legal action against the culprits. If no action is taken, a massive democratic agitation will be launched,” warned Mr Sunil Ghanwat, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh State Organiser of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti.

Read more on Hindu Janajagruti SamitiPress Release​Success of Hindus

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