Hindu couple offered inducements and pressured for religious conversion by two Christian men in Raisen, Madhya Pradesh
Raisen, Madhya Pradesh, India 
14 March, 2026
Case Summary
In the Bamulia area of Mandideep in Raisen district, Madhya Pradesh, a Hindu man named Yogendra Sarathe and his wife were offered inducements and pressured for religious conversion by two Christian men. The incident occurred on 15 March 2026, when the victim, Yogendra Sarathe, a resident of Ward 24, visited a residential house in the locality, which in reality was operating as a church. During the visit, two Christian individuals, identified as Virij Kumar and Beaula Nirala, offered Yogendra ₹1 lakh if he agreed to convert to Christianity. As part of the inducement, he was told that ₹25,000 would be given immediately as the first instalment if he accepted the conversion. Yogendra was then made to read passages from the Bible and offer prayers. Disturbed by the pressure to abandon his faith and convert, he left the premises and later informed residents of the area about the incident. News of the inducement and pressure to convert spread quickly in the locality, leading to anger among residents. Members of Bajrang Dal also reached the spot and objected to the conversion activities and religious literature present inside the house that had been functioning as a church. The Hindu activists subsequently approached the Mandideep police station and demanded action against those responsible for attempting to convert local Hindus through financial inducements. Following the complaint filed by Yogendra Sarathe, Mandideep police registered a case against Virij Kumar and Beaula Nirala under provisions of the Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Act, which prohibits religious conversion through inducement, coercion, or fraudulent means. The victim revealed that his wife was also pressured for conversion. Station in-charge Ranjit Sarathe stated that the two accused were produced before a court based on the available evidence. Police continued their investigation into the activities being conducted at the house-turned-church and the circumstances surrounding the incident. Authorities reported that the situation in the area remained peaceful while the probe into the matter progressed.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. Within it, the sub-category 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 here is - Harassment, threats, coercion for conversion. Harassment covers a wide range of behaviours of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behaviour that demeans, humiliates, and intimidates a person, including threats and coercion. Harassment and threats, in this case, find their root on discriminatory grounds which has the effect of nullifying a person’s rights or infringing upon his freedom to exercise his right specifically owing to the victim’s religious identity. Verbal and physical threats and psychological or physical harassment are often used against Hindu victims because they choose to practice their professed religion. Religious harassment also includes forced and involuntary conversions by harassment, threats or coercion. Coercion includes intimidatory tactics like force-feeding a Hindu victim beef to convert to another religion, forceful circumcision etc. In several cases documented, non-Hindu perpetrators or those who harbour specific animosity towards Hinduism, harass victims simply based on their religious identity. Such cases often also include harassment to ensure the Hindu victim abandons his/her professed religion and adopts the religion of the perpetrator. Such cases where Hindu victims are harassed to convert to the perpetrator’s religion are rooted in animosity towards the victim’s religious identity and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. The other sub-category selected is - Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. 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 the 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 proselytisation, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. This case has been added to the tracker because the Hindu victims were targeted, offered inducements, and pressured for religious conversion by two Christian men. Firstly, the victim was offered ₹1 lakh if he agreed to convert to Christianity. Offering incentives or making false promises, especially when directed at vulnerable individuals 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 in exchange for conversion, the accused were effectively blackmailing those who might have been desperate for assistance or hope. 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 results in coerced conversions. These are not random or isolated incidents, but rather cases deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims. Secondly, Yogendra revealed that both he and his wife were pressured to convert to Christianity. During the encounter, he was also made to read passages from the Bible and participate in prayers. Pressuring Hindu individuals to discard their religious faith and embrace another was a direct attack on their religious identity and dignity. It was not a matter of personal choice; it was coercion rooted in hostility towards the victim's Hindu identity. Such an attempt reflects religious animosity because the act was not simply about personal differences but about erasing the victim’s Hindu faith, making it a religiously motivated crime. Thirdly, the accused were operating a church inside a residential house. Conducting organised religious conversion activities from a residential property suggests a deliberate attempt to avoid scrutiny and public oversight. Such arrangements often enable conversion activities to be carried out discreetly, allowing those involved to approach individuals in private settings where pressure or inducements can be applied without wider community awareness. Fourthly, religious literature and copies of the Bible were found at the site. Using the scriptures or literature of one faith to deliberately target and manipulate members of another, with the clear intention of religious conversion, represents a direct attack on the Hindu faith. Such actions are designed to violate and undermine the beliefs of Hindu victims and are clear indicators of religious hostility towards Hindus and their religious identity. Such actions further demonstrate that this was not an isolated incident of evangelism, but rather part of a broader, organised operation to further religious conversions. When Christian religious material is used to exploit trust, sow doubt, and misrepresent the beliefs of Hindus to coerce conversion. The Christian faith, by its theological foundations, places a strong emphasis on proselytisation. In pursuit of conversion objectives, Christian evangelists often employ unethical means, ranging from prayer meetings and misinformation to inducements such as money, jobs or healing illnesses. Such tactics to enforce Christianity on Hindus highlight the religiously motivated nature of the crime. Given that the incident involved a structured attempt to propagate Christianity among Hindus with the intention of converting them, this case has been included in the tracker.
Victim Details
Total Victim
2
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 1
- Female 1
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 2
- Unknown 0
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 2
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
