Ayodhya: 3 arrested for attempting to convert villagers to Christianity promising relief from ailments
Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India 
13 October, 2024
Case Summary
In Ayodhya, police registered a case and arrested three individuals involved in religious conversion disguised as a prayer meeting in Majra Majhauliya, Sidhir Narsinghpur village, under the Purakalandar police station area. An FIR was also filed against multiple others. Authorities recovered books and Christian literature at the scene. The incident was reported when Surya Kant Pandey, from Nandi village, reported that he was invited by a man named Junior to a Christian missionary meeting in Majhauliya, promising relief from illness and poverty. Surya Kant attended with his friend Gautam Maurya, where they observed people being lured with cash incentives, reportedly up to fifty thousand rupees, to convert. Following a complaint by Surya Kant Pandey, police filed an FIR against Junior, identified as the son of Kallu from Pure Basawan Khan in Amethi, along with Ram Yash of Majhauliya and his daughter, among others, and three suspects were arrested near the village.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case in Ayodhya, where religious conversion attempts were disguised as a prayer meeting, exemplifies a religiously motivated hate crime under the "Predatory Proselytisation" category. Further, this aligns with the sub-category of 'Conversion/attempts to convert by inducement', as luring individuals with the promise of monetary benefits—reportedly up to fifty thousand rupees—reflects a clear strategy of incentivizing conversion for material gain. 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 act of offering inducements under the pretence of a prayer meeting not only disrespects the original religious beliefs of the attendees but also highlights an intent to alienate individuals from their Hindu identity. These components demonstrate a deliberate bias against Hinduism, with the intent to erode Hindu beliefs by exploiting physical, emotional, and financial insecurities among vulnerable individuals. This is why, this case has been classified as a religiously motivated hate crime and added to the tracker.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 1
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 1
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 1
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
