Mass religious conversion racket unearthered in Meerut: Individuals were being lured with money
Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India 
11 August, 2024
Case Summary
A religious conversion incident in Kharauli village in Meerut was unearthed by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) workers and police. The situation unfolded when VHP and BJP workers raised alarms about a conversion operation, finding that individuals were being lured with money to change their religion. When the police arrived, they arrested five individuals involved in the operation, although a key suspect, identified as Ravi Pastor, managed to escape. The police discovered materials related to Christian religious propaganda at the scene. The investigation revealed that 30-40 people had been gathered for a prayer meeting, which was suspected to be a front for conversion efforts. The police launched a detailed investigation into the case.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been included in the hate tracker under the prime category- predatory proselytisation and the sub-category chosen under the abovementioned category is- conversion/ attempts to convert by inducement- 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. In this particular case, the Christian evangelists were overtly trying to convert Hindus by offering them money in the form of inducements. In an effort to indoctrinate Hindus against their religion—which itself is a product of hostility towards the Hindu faith— the Christian evangelists were attempting to exploit a specific vulnerability of the victims who were in all likelihood also economically backward. 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. Disclaimer: The details of this case reveal that more than 30 people were baptised by the accused, however, since it does not mention the exact number of victims, we have conservatively added 30 as the victim counts in the database.
Victim Details
Total Victim
30
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 30
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 30
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 30
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 10 to 100
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
