"Lord Shiva and Vishnu can't do anything": Hindu villagers targeted for conversion through Christian healing meeting, deities denigrated and Bibles distributed
Janjgir, Chhattisgarh, India 
10 June, 2026
Case Summary
In Udayband village of Janjgir-Champa district, Chhattisgarh, Hindu residents were targeted for religious conversion through a Christian healing meeting where they were lured with promises of miraculous cures for illnesses by a Christian pastor and his associate. During the event, revered Hindu deities were denigrated, with the pastor telling attendees that "Your Lord Shiva and Vishnu can't do anything," while Christian religious teachings and literature were distributed among those present. The incident came to light on 11 June 2026 when a healing gathering was conducted at the residence of Badrinath Bareth in the Gudipara area of the village. Hindu residents from the surrounding area, including men and women, were invited to attend the meeting, where Pastor Ratharam Mahilange preached Christian religious teachings and distributed Bibles and other Christian literature in an effort to convert them to Christianity. During the gathering, the pastor claimed that drinking water blessed in the name of Jesus Christ would cure their illnesses and solve health problems. Participants were encouraged to place their faith in this so-called miraculous water, which was presented as a remedy for various ailments. The matter escalated when members of Hindu organisations learned about the gathering and reached the venue. According to complaints submitted to the police, the meeting was not limited to religious preaching but also involved derogatory remarks about Hindu deities. Witnesses stated that Pastor Ratharam Mahilange told those present that Hindu deities such as Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Brahma were powerless and incapable of helping devotees, while asserting that water associated with Jesus Christ could cure all diseases. These comments were deeply insulting to Hindu religious beliefs and caused outrage among members of the local Hindu community. The complainants further stated that Christianity was being actively promoted during the event and that religious literature was distributed among attendees. Following a written complaint lodged by Satish Soni, district contact chief of the Hindu Jagran Manch, the City Kotwali Police initiated an investigation. Acting under the directions of senior police officials, a police team raided the venue in Udayband village and found the gathering in progress. During the operation, police detained Pastor Ratharam Mahilange and homeowner Badrinath Bareth. Christian literature, including copies of the Bible and other documents related to Christian preaching, was seized from the premises. Based on the evidence collected and statements recorded during the investigation, police registered a case under Sections 299 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for hurting religious sentiments. Both accused were arrested, produced before a court, and remanded to judicial custody.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of - 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 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. 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 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 case has been added to the tracker because Hindu residents were targeted for religious conversion through a Christian healing meeting where religious inducements, denigration of Hindu deities, and the distribution of Christian literature were used to influence the religious beliefs of attendees. Firstly, the victims were invited to a healing meeting where they were told that illnesses could be cured through prayer to Jesus Christ and by consuming so-called miraculous water. Such healing meetings, often referred to as Changai Sabhas, are frequently used as platforms for Christian evangelism and conversion activities. These meetings usually employ songs, testimonies and emotionally charged prayer sessions to influence and induce vulnerable individuals without openly declaring the underlying objective. The absence of transparency is itself central to the method. People attend believing they are seeking comfort, healing or spiritual support, only to be gradually drawn into teachings that undermine their own religious identity and introduce them to the Christian framework presented as the only path to relief. Secondly, the promise that prayer to Jesus and the consumption of miraculous water would cure illnesses amounted to the use of religious incentives directed at individuals seeking hope and relief from suffering. 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 religion. By providing inducements or promising healing 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. Thirdly, the perpetrators made derogatory remarks about revered Hindu deities, reportedly telling attendees that “Your Lord Shiva and Vishnu can't do anything” and asserting that water associated with Jesus Christ could cure all diseases. 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. Fourthly, Bibles and other Christian religious literature were distributed during the gathering. Thus, the Christian perpetrators were also actively attempting to indoctrinate the Hindu victims by using Christian religious texts and literature. 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, particularly in a systematic manner, it constitutes a religiously motivated offence. 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. These tactics are designed not as acts of charity but as tools to engineer religious change under the guise of social upliftment, particularly among vulnerable and underprivileged communities. This systematic attempt to erode the religious foundation of individuals and replace it with allegiance to another faith reflects deep religious malice and animus against the Hindu identity. Because the core motivation of the act stems from hostility toward the victim’s religion, it meets the threshold of a hate crime. Hence, categorised as a hate crime in the database.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
