Tribal Hindu community targeted and offered inducements for Christian conversion in Dhrol, Gujarat
Dhrol, Gujarat, India 
13 July, 2026
Case Summary
In Haripar village of Dhrol taluka, Jamnagar district, Gujarat, poor Hindu tribal labourers were targeted for conversion to Christianity through inducements under the guise of service activities and collective prayer by Christian evangelists. The conversion network came to light after members of the Hindu Sena conducted a raid based on specific information and alerted the local authorities. According to the Hindu Sena, individuals associated with the conversion network had, for some time, been gathering economically vulnerable Hindus in the area under the pretext of service activities and prayer meetings. These gatherings were then used to gradually influence and persuade Hindu participants to convert to Christianity. It was further revealed that the perpetrators primarily targeted poor tribal Hindu labourers by offering financial assistance and other inducements to encourage their conversion to Christianity. The conversion activities formed part of an organised effort to convert economically disadvantaged Hindus. Acting on specific information, members of the Hindu Sena raided the premises where the activities were taking place. During the raid, they also recovered a large quantity of Christian religious literature and books from the location. Following the raid, the Hindu Sena informed the Sarpanch of Haripar Gram Panchayat about the incident over the phone. Subsequently, the local police took cognisance of the matter and initiated a legal investigation. At the time of writing this report, the investigation was underway.
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 - Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. The tertiary category selected is- Pattern of targeting Hindus, and the victim says was brainwashed/groomed. 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 that is often understated in such conversions or the attempts of such conversion is the role of loyalty and trust that might develop between the perpetrator and the victim. Fiduciary relationships are often abused to affect such religious conversion. For example, an educator transmitting the 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 was added to the Hinduphobia Tracker because tribal Hindus were deliberately targeted for religious conversion through inducements under the guise of service and collective prayer. The objective was not to provide charitable assistance but to brainwash Hindus to renounce their faith and convert to Christianity. Such conduct directly targeted the religious identity of the victims and therefore constituted a religiously motivated act against Hindus. Firstly, the choice of economically vulnerable tribal labourers demonstrated a calculated effort to exploit financial hardship for religious ends. 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 or promising healing in exchange for conversion, the accused were effectively blackmailing those who might have been desperate for assistance or hope. The use of material benefits to influence religious decisions rendered the conversion process coercive rather than voluntary. Secondly, the use of service activities and prayer gatherings as a means to facilitate conversion reflected deliberate planning. Religious outreach was intertwined with humanitarian assistance, creating an environment in which trust could be built before attempts were made to alter the victims' religious beliefs. This indicated that the activities were structured to gradually weaken the victims' attachment to their Hindu faith and replace it with another religion. Moreover, the recovery of Christian religious literature at the site where the activities were conducted reinforced that the gatherings were intended to promote religious conversion rather than merely provide social or charitable support. 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 overall pattern of targeting vulnerable Hindus through inducements and organised religious outreach demonstrated a sustained effort to change their religious identity. For these reasons, this case has been documented in the Hinduphobia Tracker as a religiously motivated hate crime. Disclaimer: It is important to clarify that media reports do not specify the exact date on which the alleged conversion activities began. Therefore, the Hinduphobia Tracker has recorded the date on which the incident came to light publicly, 13 July, 2026, as the incident date for documentation purposes. This date may be revised if official information establishing the commencement of the victims' ordeal becomes available.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
