Hindu tribals targeted in West Bengal's Sonamukhi through ‘healing prayer’ conversion racket; Bajrang Dal foils bid, finds Bible at spot
Sonamukhi, West Bengal, India 
4 September, 2026
Case Summary
In Sonamukhi, Bankura district, West Bengal, local Hindus and tribals were deceived into converting to Christianity under the pretext of a healing prayer programme. According to reports, the incident came to light after a video was posted on the X account @HinduVoice_in, with 63.8K followers, which documents ongoing Hindu persecution. The post stated that members of the Bajrang Dal intervened to halt a Christian missionary “healing program” in Sonamukhi, stating that it was being used to convert local Hindus and tribals. Video footage showed a crowded, rural, economically vulnerable gathering under a shelter, with mostly women and children seated and attending the prayer meeting. When members of the Hindu organisation Bajrang Dal arrived and stopped the prayer meeting, the organisers confronted them. The participants had some discussions, which were not audible. The Bajrang Dal members found a Bible at the meeting and observed other Christian religious books and signs at the spot. The video did not show the original number of perpetrators. A woman was seen preaching Christianity through the Bible, and a man confronted the Bajrang Dal members, as seen in the footage. The account gained significant engagement, where many users questioned why Hindus were being solely targeted for Christian conversion and criticised the conversion activity. As of the date of writing this report, no formal police complaint or FIR was registered in connection with the Sonamukhi incident, and no arrests were reported. Local Hindu organisations continued to raise the matter on social media and called for official intervention.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category selected in this case is: Predatory Proselytisation. Within this, the subcategory 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 in the attempts at 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 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 included in the tracker because it involved a deliberate and organised effort to persuade Hindu villagers and tribals to abandon their faith and adopt Christianity through the pretext of a “healing prayer” programme. The conduct was directed specifically at members of the Hindu community and was aimed at securing a change in their religious identity. The issue was therefore not merely the expression of Christian belief, but the use of spiritual claims and religious gatherings to encourage the abandonment of Hinduism and the adoption of another religion. The religious motivation was evident from the nature of the Christian prayer meet that was organised. The healing claims were not presented as unconditional acts of charity available irrespective of religious affiliation. Instead, they were linked to participation in Christian prayer and the acceptance of Christian doctrine. This demonstrated that the objective was not social welfare or community assistance, but religious conversion. The fact that spiritual healing was tied to a Christian prayer meeting revealed a deliberate attempt to influence the religious choices of Hindu individuals through external spiritual pressure rather than personal spiritual conviction. Conversion through such methods was particularly significant because it targeted individuals at points of vulnerability. Further, the accused directed their efforts at economically disadvantaged residents of a rural area, persons with limited access to healthcare, stable employment, and financial security. When spiritual healing and divine intervention were offered as incentives to adopt a different religion, the decision to convert became shaped by external pressure rather than genuine spiritual belief. Such methods sought to weaken a person’s attachment to their ancestral faith by creating spiritual and emotional reasons to abandon it. The use of Christian religious texts, specifically the Bible, and other Christian signs, all of which were observed by Bajrang Dal members at the site, further indicated that the gathering was not a passive social meeting but an active effort to indoctrinate Hindu attendees. When the scriptures and symbols of one faith are used to deliberately target and manipulate members of another, with the clear intention of securing a change of religion, it constitutes a direct assault on the religious identity of those targeted. The conduct also reflected a broader religious objective of reducing adherence to Hinduism and increasing adherence to Christianity. The intended outcome was not religious coexistence or mutual understanding, but the replacement of one religious identity with another. By encouraging Hindus and tribals to leave their faith in return for promised healing, the organisers treated Hindu religious affiliation as something to be discarded and replaced. Moreover, the success of the entire effort depended upon the abandonment of Hindu beliefs and practices, which further revealed a clear and deliberate religious motive. The gathering was arranged under a shelter with mostly women and children seated, indicating planning and coordination rather than spontaneous evangelism. 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. This case was therefore recorded in the Hinduphobia Tracker because the accused deliberately targeted Hindu individuals on account of their Hindu identity, employed spiritual inducements to weaken their attachment to their faith, used Christian religious material as instruments of indoctrination, and operated through an organised structure designed to achieve religious conversion. Therefore, this case was added to the Hinduphobia Tracker’s hate crime database. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents based on the date when an event occurred or when the victim’s ordeal began. In this case, none of the media reports covering the incident specified the exact date on which it occurred. Therefore, for documentation purposes, the date has been recorded as 5 September 2026, based on the date when the incident was reported in the media. The number of perpetrators involved in this incident could not be ascertained from the available report or video evidence. For documentation purposes, two perpetrators (2), one man and one woman, were recorded based on the individuals visible in the video footage. It is acknowledged that the actual number of perpetrators may be higher.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
