Hindus, including minors, brainwashed into converting to Christianity; made to boycott Hindu customs, denounce Hinduism, and throw away idols of Hindu deities
Arrah, Bihar, India 
7 July, 2026
Case Summary
In Bihiya, Arrah, Bihar, Hindus belonging to the Dalit community, including minors, were brainwashed and converted to Christianity by Christian missionaries. The victims were indoctrinated and manipulated into abandoning Hindu customs, temples, festivals, and traditions, while being systematically incited to hate the Hindu faith. They were also made to throw away idols and images of Hindu deities from their homes. The incident came to light after a media interview with several Dalit Hindu children went viral on social media. During the interaction, the Hindu victims stated that they and their families had converted to Christianity. One of the victims stated that they no longer worshipped Hindu deities or performed murti puja (idol worship). They claimed that Hindu practices had kept them in darkness and that they had come into the light after converting to Christianity. In the undated video, many Hindu children were heard claiming that they never visited temples or read Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana or Mahabharata. Several children also expressed open hatred towards Hinduism. One Hindu boy was heard saying, "Hindus do not have religious books in their homes, whereas Christians do." He further stated, "We hate Hindus and Hinduism in general." The Hindu children were also openly incited against Hindu temples and festivals. The victims stated that they no longer visited temples or celebrated festivals such as Holi. They also stated that the Hindu community did not allow Dalits and other marginalised communities to enter temples. Consequently, they stated that they no longer identified as Hindus. The Hindu victims were also brainwashed with the promise that converting to Christianity would solve all their problems. Two Hindu children were heard saying, "After converting to Christianity, we now have all the facilities in our home. Being in Hinduism is not beneficial in any way." The victims were also made to desecrate idols and images of Hindu deities from their homes. One victim stated that Dalit Hindus had thrown away idols and images of Hindu gods and goddesses from their homes and dumped them into rivers. A Hindu victim also stated that she and her family had never visited temples or celebrated Hindu festivals after their conversion, demonstrating the extent of the indoctrination. The missionaries also demonised the Hindu community during the process of converting these victims. This was evident when a Hindu girl stated, "Rape and atrocities against girls and women happen more in Hinduism and the Hindu community. That is why I converted." She further claimed that such atrocities did not occur among Christians. The video also revealed that the victims had been indoctrinated using Christian texts such as the Bible. They were taught that converting to Christianity would bring them the grace of Jesus and that Jesus would solve all their problems and illnesses through miracles.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The first primary category selected in this case is: Predatory Proselytisation. The subcategory selected is: Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. The tertiary categories selected are: Conversion of minor and 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 subcategory 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 subcategory 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 second primary category selected is: Attack on Hindu religious representations. The subcategory selected is: Desecration of Hindu religious symbols. Icons and symbols or a religious representation of a spiritual ideal are widely revered in Hinduism. Iconography is of vital significance in the Hindu milieu. It helps connect people’s spiritual beliefs with the real world. Iconography within the Hindu faith takes several shapes and forms. Murtis are of most significance to Hindus, to which daily rituals, prayers and offerings are done. Besides the murtis, there are several other symbols which have deep significance in the Hindu faith – the Om and Swastika for example. Since these Hindu religious symbols hold paramount importance in Hinduism, any desecration of symbols, icons, murtis, religious representations and manifestations, is driven by animosity towards the faith itself which manifests itself through these murtis, icons and symbols. Therefore, any desecration of these Hindu religious symbols and representations is considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. This case constituted a clear example of a religiously motivated hate crime, as the facts demonstrated how systematic brainwashing was used as a tool to indoctrinate Hindus and facilitate their conversion to Christianity. The inclusion of minors among the victims made the gravity of the offence even more severe, as children are particularly susceptible to sustained psychological influence and ideological conditioning. The Hindu victims were indoctrinated to such an extent that they began rejecting their own faith, temples, customs, traditions, community, and deities. They were further made to desecrate idols and images of Hindu deities by throwing them into rivers and ponds. Such conduct did not arise spontaneously but reflected the depth of hostility towards Hinduism that had been instilled in the victims through sustained manipulation. The deliberate cultivation of contempt for the victims' existing religion as a means of facilitating religious conversion demonstrated that this was not merely an act of proselytisation but a targeted hate campaign directed at Hindus because of their religious identity. This placed the case squarely within the parameters of a religiously motivated hate crime. At first glance, some of the victims appeared to state that they had embraced Christianity of their own free will. However, when their statements were examined in their entirety, they did not reflect a voluntary or informed religious choice based upon a genuine attraction to Christian beliefs, philosophy, or practices. Instead, they revealed a sustained process of indoctrination in which contempt for Hinduism had been deliberately cultivated before conversion took place. Rather than expressing admiration for Christianity itself, the victims repeatedly denounced Hinduism, its beliefs, and its practices, using narratives that had evidently been instilled in them. The fact that many of the victims belonged to the Dalit community further highlighted how vulnerable sections of Hindu society were targeted and their social and economic circumstances exploited during the conversion process. Brainwashing, by its very nature, operates by gradually shaping an individual's beliefs without them recognising the extent of that influence. Consequently, the victims' own perception that they had acted voluntarily could not, by itself, negate the existence of systematic manipulation. Viewed as a whole, the circumstances demonstrated that hostility towards Hinduism had been deliberately fostered as the principal mechanism through which conversion was achieved, making this a clear case of a religiously motivated hate crime. The conduct documented in this case satisfied the defining characteristics of religious brainwashing. The victims were encouraged to reject every significant aspect of their religious identity, including their faith, customs, traditions, temples, community, deities, and sacred symbols. They were not merely persuaded to adopt another religion but were systematically conditioned to view their own religion with contempt. Such comprehensive rejection of every aspect of one's inherited faith does not ordinarily emerge from independent religious enquiry. Rather, it reflected prolonged ideological conditioning designed to alienate the victims from their own religious identity before replacing it with another. This systematic erosion of their connection with Hinduism demonstrated a deliberate attempt to dismantle the victims' religious identity and replace it through sustained indoctrination, thereby constituting a religiously motivated hate crime. The victims further stated that they no longer worshipped Hindu deities or performed murti puja (idol worship) because they had been taught that such practices had kept them in darkness and that they had only come into the light after converting to Christianity. These statements illustrated a classic pattern of religious brainwashing in which an individual's existing faith is portrayed as spiritually false, morally inferior, or inherently harmful, while conversion is presented as the only path to truth and salvation. Instead of allowing the victims to arrive at their own religious conclusions through independent reflection, the missionaries instilled the belief that Hindu worship itself represented ignorance and spiritual darkness. By exploiting the social and economic vulnerabilities of these families, particularly those belonging to marginalised communities, the missionaries reinforced this narrative until the victims internalised it as their own belief. Such systematic psychological manipulation went far beyond ordinary religious persuasion and demonstrated deliberate indoctrination aimed at securing religious conversion. This act makes this incident a clear example of a religiously motivated hate crime. The evidence also showed that the victims had been actively discouraged from visiting Hindu temples, reading Hindu scriptures, practising Hindu customs, and celebrating Hindu festivals. Several children stated that neither they nor their families engaged in these religious practices after their conversion. This reflected far more than a personal change in religious observance. It demonstrated a systematic effort to disconnect the victims from every institution, tradition, and cultural practice associated with Hinduism. Temples, scriptures, and festivals form the foundation of communal and religious life within Hindu society. By encouraging the victims to withdraw from all of these simultaneously, the missionaries gradually isolated them from their religious heritage and community. Such sustained efforts to sever an individual's connection with every aspect of their faith illustrated a deliberate process of indoctrination designed to facilitate conversion through psychological conditioning rather than genuine religious conviction. This further reinforced that the case constituted a religiously motivated hate crime. The statements made by the victims also revealed the extent to which hostility towards Hinduism had been instilled through systematic indoctrination. One child stated that Hindus did not have religious books in their homes, whereas Christians did, before further stating, "We hate Hindus and Hinduism in general." These remarks were significant because they reflected not merely a personal preference for Christianity but an actively cultivated animosity towards the victims' own religion and community. Rather than encouraging conversion through an appreciation of Christian beliefs and teachings, the missionaries employed the denigration of Hinduism as a means of achieving conversion, systematically instilling the same hostility in the victims. This demonstrated that contempt for the victims' existing faith had become a central component of the conversion process. Such expressions of hatred are highly unlikely to arise naturally, particularly from children, without sustained ideological influence and repeated conditioning. Instead, they indicated that the victims had been consistently encouraged to view Hinduism, Hindus, and Hindu religious practices with contempt until those beliefs became internalised. By replacing familiarity, respect, and cultural attachment with hostility and rejection, the missionaries weakened the victims' emotional connection to their ancestral faith while reinforcing identification with their newly adopted religious identity. This deliberate cultivation of hatred towards one's own religion as a precursor to conversion reflected systematic psychological manipulation rather than an informed and voluntary change of faith. The use of such indoctrination to facilitate religious conversion constituted a clear example of a religiously motivated hate crime. The indoctrination process further sought to exploit and weaponise internal social dynamics by intentionally dividing the Hindu community along the lines of caste identity. The perpetrators incited the victims to develop a deep-seated hostility towards Hindu temples, convincing them that the Hindu community systematically bars Dalits and other marginalised groups from entering places of worship. This ultimately led the victims to declare that they no longer identified as Hindus. This narrative represents a classic, calculated missionary tactic designed to fracture Hindu society by magnifying social fault lines. In reality, Hindu scriptures and orthodox community guidelines contain no prohibitions against Dalits entering temples or participating in worship. The administration and ritual conduct of Hindu temples are governed by sacred scriptures known as the Agamas, none of which prohibit any Hindu, regardless of background, from entering temple premises or offering prayers. While isolated incidents of social exclusion may occur in far-flung areas due to localised disputes or non-caste variables, these are anomalous deviations rather than a reflection of scriptural or community mandate. The fact that the missionaries generalised these rare, isolated occurrences, which most likely had never even been experienced by the victims personally, and used them to fan psychological tensions and systematically sever the victims' ties with their ancestral faith, highlights the extreme depth of the brainwashing, manipulation, and malicious incitement directed against their Hindu identity. In tandem with this psychological alienation, the perpetrators deliberately targeted and exploited the socio-economic vulnerabilities of these families through coercive inducement. The missionaries manipulated the victims into believing that converting to Christianity would immediately resolve their hardships and grant them access to amenities. This predatory conditioning was starkly evident in the statements of the victims themselves, who remarked that they now possessed "all facilities" in their homes post-conversion, concluding that remaining within Hinduism was "not beneficial in any way." Presenting religious identity through a purely transactional, material lens and framing the ancestral faith as economically disadvantageous reveals that these conversions were driven by structured coercion rather than spiritual enlightenment. Dangling basic livelihood improvements and material rewards before impoverished, vulnerable families to strip them of their faith is not an act of goodwill, charity, or legitimate religious propagation. Instead, using such high-handed inducements and manipulative tactics to erode a community's religious adherence demonstrates a profound hostility toward Hinduism. This transforms what is claimed to be charity into a deceptive and coercive apparatus that constitutes a religiously motivated hate crime. Another factor to highlight is that the victims were brainwashed to such a level that they had thrown away sacred idols and images of Hindu deities from their homes. To understand the gravity of the psychological damage inflicted upon the victims, it is essential to recognise the profound religious and spiritual significance that images and idols of deities hold within Hindu tradition. In Hinduism, a murti (sacred idol) or image is not viewed as a mere piece of stone, metal, or paper, nor is it treated as a decorative symbol. Through sacred consecration rituals, the murti becomes a living embodiment of the divine, serving as the literal focal point of a household’s daily spiritual life, domestic sanctity, and ancestral continuity. The home altar is regarded as the spiritual heart of the family, where daily prayers, offerings, and rituals connect the household with the cosmic divine. For a practising Hindu, the deities are revered as living guardians, teachers, and the ultimate source of spiritual solace. Consequently, the relationship between a devotee and their household deities is deeply personal, emotional, and sacred, forming the very foundation of their cultural and psychological well-being. By understanding this deep spiritual bond, the act of brainwashing the victims to the extent that they physically desecrated these idols emerges as one of the most destructive and aggressive forms of cultural erasure. Forcing or conditioning individuals to treat their revered deities as refuse to be discarded represents a deliberate assault on the emotional and spiritual core of the faith. This calculated act of disposal served as a psychological weapon, designed to completely cut the victims off from their heritage, isolate them from their community, and instil a lingering sense of revulsion toward their past. For a Hindu, their deities are everything, and the fact that the missionaries successfully conditioned these children and their families to turn against and attack their own domestic shrines showcases the absolute depth of animosity harboured by the perpetrators toward the Hindu community. Orchestrating the internal desecration of a community's most sacred symbols is a definitive hallmark of a targeted hate campaign designed to humiliate and dismantle a religious tradition from within. Furthermore, the perpetrators went beyond spiritual denigration by systematically maligning and vilifying the entire Hindu community to accelerate the conversion process. This weaponisation of social issues was starkly illustrated by the statement of a young girl who claimed she converted because "rape and atrocities against girls and women happen more in Hinduism," asserting that such crimes did not occur among Christians. Rape and gender-based violence are universal societal evils that cross all religious, geographic, and socio-economic boundaries, driven by criminal pathology rather than religious philosophy. Generalising these heinous atrocities as a distinct characteristic inherent to the Hindu faith represents a severe, malicious form of slander. By instilling this deeply distorted, fearful, and hateful stereotype into the minds of young children and their families, the missionaries did not teach theology. Instead, they systematically demonised the entire Hindu collective, branding the majority of Hindus as sexual predators. Using the trauma of gender-based violence to generate existential revulsion toward the Hindu religion is an extreme form of psychological manipulation, cementing the case as a clear example of a religiously motivated hate crime. Finally, the exploitation of personal suffering, illness, emotional distress, and socio-economic hardship through the selective and literal use of Biblical teachings underscored the deeply predatory nature of this campaign. Rather than merely preaching their faith, the missionaries targeted individuals vulnerable due to poor health, family difficulties, or psychological distress, presenting acceptance of Jesus and conversion to Christianity as the only solution to their hardships. Victims were promised miracles, relief from misfortune, and the resolution of personal crises, claims that carried particular influence over children and families in distress. In doing so, Biblical scripture was employed not simply as a source of spiritual guidance but as a means of persuasion and psychological dependency. Hindu victims were gradually encouraged to perceive their own religious beliefs and practices as ineffective or inferior, while Christianity was portrayed as the sole path to healing, protection, and prosperity. This systematic effort to alienate vulnerable Hindus from their faith and steer them towards conversion reflected not only a calculated strategy of religious manipulation but also a deep-seated hostility towards Hindu beliefs and traditions. It is also important to note that the victims included Hindu minors, making this aspect of the case particularly significant. Given their young age and lack of emotional and intellectual maturity, minors are inherently more susceptible to influence, manipulation, and psychological conditioning. They are often incapable of fully comprehending the lifelong implications of abandoning one faith and embracing another. Consequently, the element of informed consent and a genuine change of conscience was absent from the outset. By specifically targeting vulnerable Hindu children through manipulation, brainwashing, promises of miracles, inducements, and religious persuasion, the missionaries exploited their immaturity to influence their religious beliefs. Such conduct demonstrated a deliberate attempt to manipulate minors into renouncing their ancestral faith. This act reinforced that this was not a case of voluntary religious choice but one of coercive and deceptive religious targeting directed at a particularly vulnerable section of the Hindu community. Targeting such a broad group of families from the village demonstrated premeditated planning and an intent to convert multiple Hindus at once, rather than an isolated or spontaneous act. This reveals a clear pattern of targeting large numbers of Hindus for forced Christian conversions, making it a religiously motivated offence. Such predatory conversion efforts stem from Abrahamic doctrines like Christianity that view non-believers with disdain until they convert, fostering contempt that manifests in targeted crimes against Hindus. Overall, since this case involves several parameters of a hate crime, it is being added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incident dates based on when the victim's ordeal began rather than when the incident was reported by the media. However, in the present case, the exact date on which the victims were subjected to the conversion campaign could not be ascertained. Therefore, 8 July 2026, the date on which the incident surfaced on social media, has been selected as the indicative incident date. This date has been recorded for documentation purposes only.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
