Hindus targeted for forced Christian conversion under guise of prayer meeting in Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh
Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh, India 
8 August, 2026
Case Summary
On August 9, 2026, Hindus were targeted for forced Christian conversion under the guise of a prayer meeting held at a house in Vandana Vihar Colony in the Hatkeshar ward of Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh. Members and office-bearers of the Hindu Jagran Manch, a Hindu organisation, reached the location after receiving information about the prayer gathering and stated that those conducting the meeting were engaging in religious conversion activities under the guise of healing ceremonies. The members raised slogans and confronted people present at the house, following which police personnel from City Kotwali reached the spot and brought the situation under control. The Hindu Jagran Manch stated that such healing meetings had previously been organised at the same house and stated that organisers were luring economically vulnerable people with money for religious conversion. The organisation also stated that similar meetings were being conducted at several locations in and around Dhamtari and demanded action under the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act. Its representatives further raised concerns about funding coming from outside the area and sought an investigation into the financial transactions associated with the activities. The organisation also stated that around 24 people had been present at the gathering, while more people may have attended the meeting. The Hindu Jagran Manch maintained that complaints regarding such healing meetings had been made repeatedly but that effective action had not been taken by the administration. Additional Superintendent of Police D.C. Patel stated that police had reached the location after receiving information about the protest and had conducted an on-the-spot investigation. He said that the concerns raised by members of the Hindu Jagran Manch regarding the people present at the house and the presence of outsiders had been addressed. Patel also confirmed that police had previously received information about prayer meetings being conducted at the same residence and stated that each time information was received, the police investigated the matter and took appropriate action if violations were found.
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 - 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 the prayer gathering was organised with the aim of targeting Hindus for religious conversion. What was presented as a simple prayer gathering was in reality a covert attempt at religious conversion. These were not genuine community prayers but calculated efforts to exploit the trust of Hindus and manipulate them into abandoning their faith. The organisers deliberately held the meeting without permission from the administration, indicating a deliberate and deceptive strategy designed to avoid public attention and scrutiny. By conducting such gatherings, the Christian missionaries sought to manipulate vulnerable Hindus, taking advantage of their emotional and social circumstances to push them towards conversion. Religious prayer gatherings function as an entry point for proselytisation by creating an environment in which participants are introduced to Christian beliefs, teachings and practices. Such gatherings may involve collective prayers, worship, preaching, testimonies of personal transformation, references to divine intervention or healing, and messages portraying Christianity as a source of salvation, protection or solutions to personal difficulties. When such religious activities are directed towards members of another faith with the objective of persuading them to adopt Christianity, the prayer setting becomes a means of initiating and cultivating the conversion process rather than serving solely as an act of worship for existing adherents. 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. Disclaimer: Media reports state that around 24 people attended the prayer gathering in Bhayandar, Maharashtra. For documentation clarity, the Hinduphobia Tracker has applied a proportional demographic estimate based on India’s Census 2011 and NFHS-5 (2019–21) rural population patterns. Accordingly, the 24 participants are estimated as 12 men (50%) and 12 women (50%), reflecting an equal gender distribution consistent with typical urban family demographics
Victim Details
Total Victim
24
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 12
- Female 12
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 24
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 24
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
