Christian evengelist lures Hindu villagers to a religious gathering where inducements were offered to convert the victims to Christianity
Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India 
30 June, 2024
Case Summary
In a case of religious conversion that came to the fore from Uttar Pradesh, a Christian evangelist named Kailash was accused of taking villagers from Hamirpur to a religious gathering in Delhi where they were converted to Christianity under false pretences of medical treatment. As per the court documents, complainant Ramkali Prajapati’s brother Ramphal was taken by Kailash from Hamirpur to Delhi to attend a social gathering and ceremony of well-being. Several people from the village were taken to the event where they were converted to Christianity. Kailash had promised Ramkali that her brother, who is suffering from mental illness, would be treated and would return within a week. When Ramphal did not come back after a week, she asked Kailash about her brother but did not get a satisfactory answer after which she filed a complaint against Kailash. Kailash faced charges under Section 365 of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 3/5(1) of the U.P. Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021. On 1st July, the Allahabad High Court denied bail to Kailash and issued a stark warning suggesting that if the current trend of religious conversions during congregations continues without any intervention, the majority population of India could find itself in the minority.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
Predatory Proselytisation is not just limited to threat, harassment, force and violence, but it also has contours of stealth. In several cases, the Hindu victim is exploited to convert, with non-Hindus taking advantage of their poverty. In such cases, the Hindu victim who is suffering financially is offered monetary benefits, including lucrative offers for jobs, health treatment, education, etc, to induce the victim into changing his/her religion. In such cases, the religious identity of the victim and the aim to disenfranchise him from his faith form the heart of the crime. Also, taking advantage of and exploiting an individual’s economic vulnerabilities is widely acknowledged as exploitation, forms of which are often penalised by law. Such cases therefore are considered religiously motivated hate crimes since the victim’s religious identity forms the very heart of the crime itself. The accused in this instance attempted to entice the Hindu victims to renounce their faith and adopt Islam by offering them financial assistance. Also, the victim belonged to the economically weaker section of the society. The conversion attempt was being made by offering inducements of money and medical treatment, which clearly means that the Christian evangelist was attempting to exploit a specific vulnerability of the victim. Luring men or women from lower social classes with material temptations is a classic tactic used by such perpetrators to force their victims to abandon their stated religion and accept a foreign one. This case has been classified as a religiously motivated hate crime because the act of taking advantage of vulnerabilities with the intention of explicitly converting someone is motivated only by hatred against the victim's religion.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 1
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 1
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 0
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
