Hindus enticed through incentives to convert to Christianity under the guise of 'prayer meetings' and 'healing services'
Durg, Chhattisgarh, India 
28 May, 2025
Case Summary
In Durg, Chhattisgarh, a Hindu family, along with other local Hindus, was lured to convert to Christianity by members of a Christian missionary group. The Hindus were enticed with incentives to convert. According to media reports, the accused are identified as Pastor Mamta Kumari Dixit (50), Sapan Deep (42), their son Shubham (24), Rajesh Patel (35), his wife Madhuri Tandi (35), Nita Baghel (40), her daughter Devanti (21), Bini Tandi (30), and Ribero Williams (36). On the day of the incident, a prayer and healing meeting was held at Madhuri Tandi’s house near the Raipur-Durg check-post, under the jurisdiction of Padmanabhpur police station. In the meeting, economically and socially vulnerable Hindus were given incentives and pressured to convert to Christianity. Upon receiving information about the gathering, members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) arrived at the premises and caught the accused who were conducting the meeting. The VHP members informed the police, who detained the pastor and others at the scene. The Hindu activists also protested against such illegal conversion activities. A local resident also filed a complaint with the police regarding the incident. A police officer stated that, according to the complaint, the accused organised a healing service meeting at Madhuri Tandi’s house, where they attempted to convert his Hindu family and other local Hindus to Christianity. After receiving the complaint, a police team investigated the scene and subsequently registered a case. The accused were arrested under Section 299 (deliberate and malicious act intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (Indian Justice Code) and Section 4 of the Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category-Predatory Proselytisation. The subcategory selected 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. The other sub-category selected is - Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination, and within it, the tertiary category selected is - Pattern of targeting Hindus. Religious brainwashing essentially means the often subtle and forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up their religious beliefs to accept contrasting regimented ideas. Religious grooming or brainwashing also involves propaganda and manipulation. It involves the systematic effort, driven by religious malice and indoctrination, to persuade “non-believers’ to accept allegiance, command, or doctrine to and of a contrasting faith. Cases of such grooming or brainwashing are far more nuanced than direct threats, coercion, inducement and violence. In such cases, it is often seen that there is repeated, subtle and continual manipulation of the victim to induce disaffection towards their own faith and acceptance of the contrasting faith of the perpetrator. While subtle indoctrination is widely acknowledged as predatory, an element which is often understated in such conversions or the attempts of such conversion is the role of loyalty and trust which might develop between the perpetrator and the victim. Fiduciary relationships are often abused to affect such religious conversion. For example, an educator transmitting religious doctrine of a competing faith to a Hindu student. The Hindu student is likely to accept what the teacher is transmitting owing to existence of the fiduciary relationship. The exploitation of the fiduciary relationship to religiously indoctrinate victims would also be included in this category. Since the underlying animosity towards the victim’s faith forms the basis of predatory proselytization, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. This incident in Durg, where a Hindu family and other local Hindus were lured to convert to Christianity through incentives, can be seen as a hate crime against Hindus for several compelling reasons. The nature of the conversion efforts, the use of inducements to exploit vulnerable Hindus, and the wider impact on the Hindu community all indicate a targeted action against Hindus as a group. When individuals or groups focus their efforts on converting members of a particular religion, in this case, Hindus, then it demonstrates a fundamental disregard for that faith. Conversion, especially when not based on personal conviction but rather on external persuasion or pressure, is not simply about sharing a different belief system. It is an attempt to undermine the values, traditions, and identity of the Hindu community. In this context, the accused specifically targeted Hindus, which suggests a lack of respect for Hinduism and its followers. Such actions are carried out with the intention of stripping Hindu victims of their faith. Secondly, offering incentives to encourage conversion, particularly when directed at individuals who are vulnerable or in need, shows that these incentives are not acts of kindness or charity. Instead, they are calculated moves to exploit vulnerable Hindus because of their religion. By providing inducements to Hindus to change their faith, the accused were effectively blackmailing those who might have been desperate for assistance. Such instances are seen in many cases where members of Christian missionary groups target socially and economically vulnerable Hindus to further their agenda of religious conversions. This form of coercion strips people of their agency and dignity and enforces forced conversions. These are not random or isolated incidents, but rather cases deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims. Furthermore, another particularly troubling aspect of this case is the use of “healing services” as a guise to lure individuals and facilitate conversions. These gatherings are often presented as opportunities for physical or emotional healing, offering hope to Hindus who may be suffering from illness, distress, or other hardships. Such manipulation of vulnerable Hindus, exploiting their difficulties to advance the agenda of conversion, glaringly demonstrates the religiously motivated nature of the case. The consequences of such targeted conversion efforts extend far beyond the individuals directly involved. When the Hindu community sees its members being systematically targeted, enticed, and pressured to abandon their faith, it creates a climate of fear, mistrust, and insecurity. The Hindu community in Durg, as well as in many other places where similar incidents occur, may feel under siege, concerned that their traditions and beliefs are being eroded by predatory proselytising Christian groups. This sense of targeting faced by Hindus for practising their religion is a clear indicator of a religiously motivated crime. In summary, the Durg case exemplifies a hate crime against Hindus because it involves the deliberate targeting of Hindus for conversion, the exploitation of vulnerable individuals through incentives, and the resulting harm to community cohesion and dignity. Such actions are not about genuine religious dialogue or personal spiritual journeys; rather, they are concerted efforts to strip victims of their ancestral Hindu faith and push them towards adopting Christianity. Since the act of taking advantage of vulnerabilities with the intention of explicitly converting someone is motivated only by hatred against the victim's religion, this case has been classified as a religiously motivated hate crime and added to the tracker.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
