Six arrested in Jhunjhunu for attempting to convert villagers to Christianity under the guise of Satsang - a Hindu religious gathering
Jhunjhunun, Rajasthan, India 
12 October, 2024
Case Summary
A case of religious conversion emerged from the Singhana area of Jhunjhunu, leading to the arrest of five people. According to SP Sharad Chaudhary, on October 13, authorities received reports of individuals attempting to convert people in Doomoli Khurd by hosting gatherings under the guise of Satsang. Some media reports said that the prayer meet was being conducted under the guise of celebrating a birthday party. These individuals reportedly encouraged villagers to adopt Christianity, offering persuasive speeches. Upon receiving the complaint, the Singhana police were alerted, and SHO Kailash Chand Yadav responded. Upon investigation, the allegations were confirmed, and five individuals were detained at the scene. The accused were identified as residents of Pune, Maharashtra: Jaishan Bernard Christian (44), Amit Dingbar, Kailash Chaudhary, Sanjay Randhive, Panchram and Shankarlal Kumawat (47). During questioning, the group admitted to holding similar gatherings in various locations aimed at religious conversion.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The approach adopted by the accused in this case aligns with the sub-category of "Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation, or subtle indoctrination, under the prime category of 'Predatory Proselytisation' of the tracker. 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. In this case, the Christian missionaries employed deceptive methods to manipulate people into adopting Christianity. Operating under the guise of a Satsang, the accused capitalized on the cultural familiarity of such gatherings to attract villagers, creating a false sense of trust to facilitate conversion. The perpetrators engaged in persuasive speeches and emotionally appealing tactics, deliberately designed to sway vulnerable villagers toward Christianity. The organized nature of the gatherings and the perpetrators' admission of conducting similar events in other areas indicate a systematic approach to conversion efforts, aiming to undermine the participants' religious identity by exploiting their trust. Such practices demonstrate a disregard for the villagers’ original beliefs, effectively targeting them through covert indoctrination within the community setting. This case, therefore, reflects a concerning pattern of targeting individuals for conversion. As the victim's religious identity and the desire to strip him of his religious rights are evident motivators for such crimes, this case has been classified under the core category of Predatory Prostylisation.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
