Hindu family manipulated with religious literature for conversion by Christian men; derogatory remarks made against Hindu deities
Banswara, Rajasthan, India 
13 May, 2026
Case Summary
In Anjana village under the Arthuna police station area of Banswara district, Rajasthan, a Hindu family was targeted for religious conversion by men engaged in Christian missionary activities. During the incident, derogatory remarks were made against Hindu gods and goddesses while members of the family were being brainwashed to convert to Christianity. The incident came to light on the night of 14 May 2026, when local Hindu residents, Himank Sharma, Himanshu Makwana, and Raj Makwana, heard loud noises coming from the house of Kishore Bhatia near Pipli Chowk. When they entered the premises, they found a Christian man holding religious scriptures and speaking against Hindu gods while encouraging those present to adopt Christianity, claiming it to be superior. When the villagers objected to his remarks and activities, he made further derogatory comments about Hindu gods and goddesses, which intensified the atmosphere and led to the gathering of a large crowd from the locality. The villagers questioned the Christian man, who identified himself as Subhash Chandra, son of Balveer Singh and resident of Binjal in Patiala district, Punjab. During the confrontation, villagers recovered two religious books and a mobile phone from him, which contained photographs and videos of similar programmes conducted at different locations. Following a complaint filed by Himanshu Makwana, the Arthuna police registered a case relating to religious conversion activities against Subhash Chandra and Anand Bhatia, a resident of Partapur. Villagers stated that Anand Bhatia had been operating as a local organiser and facilitator for conversion activities in the area. Police reached the spot after receiving information about the disturbance and took the accused into custody. Subhash Chandra was later produced before a court, which remanded him for two days for further investigation. Following the incident, villagers met Arthuna Police Station Officer Vinod Meena and demanded strict action against those involved in the conversion activities.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category Predatory Proselytisation. Within this, the subcategory selected is - Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination, with the tertiary category being - 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. The other sub-category selected is - Attempting to convert/converting by denigrating Hinduism. In several cases, Hindus are converted or an attempt is made to convert Hindus by denigrating their faith, Hinduism. In such cases, the Hindus associate with the non-Hindu perpetrators often by choice and then, the attempt to convert them by insulting their faith, showing the faith down etc begins. An example of this would be a non-Hindu gathering where the Hindus are attending the gathering of their own free will. However, once they attend the gathering, there is an explicit attempt to convert them by abusing their faith and hailing the faith of the perpetrator. The denigration of the Hindu faith is often based on misrepresentation of the Hindu faith, its doctrine and scriptures and insult to espoused traditions if not blatant lies about Hindu beliefs and ways. Such conversions or attempts at conversions are driven by animosity towards the Hindu faith and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. This case has been added to the tracker because a Hindu family was targeted for religious conversion by Christian individuals who attempted to undermine their faith and manipulate them to adopt Christianity. The incident involved derogatory remarks against Hindu gods and goddesses, the use of Christian religious literature to influence Hindus, and indications of organised conversion activities extending beyond a single isolated event. Firstly, the perpetrators denigrated Hinduism and made insulting remarks about Hindu gods and goddesses while attempting to influence members of the Hindu family to convert. This goes beyond religious debate or proselytisation; it constitutes an act of incitement and insult directed at the core beliefs of the Hindu community. Such remarks are designed to demean and undermine the faith of Hindus and intend to create an inferiority complex in the minds of the victims against their own faith. This fosters an environment of hostility and disrespect towards the Hindu community and Hindu deities. These acts of insulting Hinduism stem from Christian theology, which harbours disdain and hatred for polytheistic faiths, and which categorises Hindus as ‘polytheists’, thereby fostering hatred against them. Such actions make the religiously motivated nature of the crime even more evident. Secondly, the perpetrators were using Christian scriptures and religious literature to influence and indoctrinate the Hindu victims with the objective of conversion. The use of religious material to target members of another faith community and persuade them to abandon their religion represented a direct attempt to undermine the religious identity and beliefs of the victims. The recovery of Christian literature from the accused demonstrated that the activity was systematic in nature and aimed at influencing Hindus through sustained religious persuasion. Such conduct reflected a targeted effort to weaken the attachment of the victims to Hinduism and encourage their conversion to Christianity. Thirdly, the accused were found in possession of photographs and videos of similar programmes conducted at multiple locations, indicating that the activity formed part of a broader and organised pattern of conversion efforts rather than a one-off interaction. The existence of such material suggested sustained outreach activities specifically focused on Hindu communities. When members of a particular religious community are systematically targeted for conversion through organised programmes, it demonstrates disregard for the integrity of that community’s faith and traditions. In this case, Hindus were specifically chosen as targets of religious conversion efforts, reflecting a deliberate attempt to influence and alter their religious identity. The Christian faith, by its very theological foundations, places a strong emphasis on proselytisation. In pursuit of conversion objectives, Christian evangelists often employ unethical means, ranging from psychological pressure and misinformation to inducements such as money or jobs. In such cases, Christian missionary groups often target and brainwash socially and economically vulnerable Hindus to further their agenda of religious conversions. This form of coercion strips Hindus of their agency and dignity and enforces forced conversions. These are not random or isolated incidents, but rather premeditated efforts to undermine the Hindu faith, persuade Hindus to discard their own faith, and convert to Christianity. Such acts were deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims, and thus, this case was added to the tracker.
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
