Christian pastor and 3 others convert 60 Hindus to Christianity by offering them money, arrested
Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India 
11 July, 2024
Case Summary
In Moradabad district, Uttar Pradesh, four individuals, including a Christian pastor from Uttarakhand, were arrested for converting people to Christianity under the guise of providing assistance. The police, acting on a complaint by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) general secretary Pankaj Singh, booked the accused under relevant sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 and the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021. The incident occurred on 12th July in Rammanawala village during a Christian religious meeting. VHP and Bajrang Dal activists intervened and reported forced religious conversions to the police. The accused included Pastor Kuldeep from Uddhamsinghnagar and three local residents: Amarjeet, Jaipal, and Mukesh. Singh said that nearly 60 people from 15 Hindu families were converted to Christianity through financial incentives and gifts. An FIR was registered under BNS sections 351(2) and 351(3), and sections 3 and 5(1) of the anti-conversion act. Authorities initiated an investigation into the matter.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The reason why 'conversion by inducement' has been selected as the sub-category under the prime category 'Predatory Proselytisation' is that the Hindu victims were lured to convert to Christianity by being offered monetary inducements. 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. It is obvious that the victim belonged to the economically weaker section of society. The pastors were attempting to convert him by offering him the inducement of money and a home, which clearly means that the Christian evangelist was attempting to exploit a specific vulnerability of the victim. Since exploiting vulnerabilities for the explicit purpose of conversion is purely based on animosity towards the victim's faith, this case has been categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime.
Victim Details
Total Victim
60
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 60
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 60
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 60
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
