Militant Hindu activists, who stormed a marriage registrar's office to prevent a woman marrying a Christian, say they will no longer tolerate anti-Hindu activities on Indian soil.
Physically disabled Meena Gond, 36, was prevented from marrying rickshaw-puller Peter Abraham in the central Indian city of Jabalpur last week by an angry mob armed with swords, tridents and sticks.
Sudhir Agrawal, a leader of Dharam Sena, an offshoot of the World Hindu Council, said the marriage had been prevented because it was part of a larger Christian plot to convert Hindus.
'For more than a century we did not raise any voice against Christian conversions in India. But now we are organised. We will not tolerate such anti-Hindu activities on our soil any more,' Mr Agrawal said.
'The man lured the poor girl by offering her money and promising her a better life. The marriage is simply being used as a tool to convert a Hindu girl and increase a member of their community,' he said.
But Ms Gond's family says she is not, in fact, a Hindu. 'We have no connection with Hinduism, we have never worshipped any Hindu gods in our house,' her brother, Radhe Gond, said.
Patras Gond, a tribal elder in the area explained that the family had originally been animist, and most of them still were.