Vulnerable Hindus targeted for conversion to Christianity through inducements in Banka, Bihar

Case ID : 30aa49c | Location : Banka, Bihar, India | Date of Incident : Sun, 6 September, 2026

Case ID : 30aa49c

Banka, Bihar, India

6 September, 2026

Vulnerable Hindus targeted for conversion to Christianity through inducements in Banka, Bihar

Predatory Proselytisation

Conversion/ attempts to convert by inducement

Case Summary

In Banka, Bihar, poor and vulnerable Hindus were converted to Christianity under the pretext of a prayer meeting held in a house. Christian evangelists promised the victims financial aid and jobs and asked them to abandon their Hindu Gods and follow Jesus. The matter came to light after a video surfaced on social media showing a large gathering at a house in Gauranga village, Belhar block. A large number of women and children were seen at the location, having arrived on motorcycles and e-rickshaws (totos). The gathering was interrupted after members of the Bajrang Dal objected to the prayer meeting. After the interruption, the Christian preachers were seen fleeing on motorcycles, while the women, men, and children who had gathered also gradually left the house. As per the report, an elderly man stated that the Christian preachers had asked him to leave Hindu Gods and follow only Jesus to get the benefits. Another person sitting in an auto-rickshaw said he had approached several people for help with his problem, but received help from the missionaries. They paid him and provided financial aid, after which he converted to Christianity. The local villagers expressed concern that the number of illegal conversions to Christianity would continue to increase through such religious conversions.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

The primary category selected for this case is: Predatory proselytisation. The subcategory selected for this case is: Conversion/attempts to convert by inducement. Predatory Proselytisation is not limited to threats, 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 to change 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. This case was included in the tracker because it involved a deliberate and organised effort to persuade Hindu villagers to abandon their faith and adopt Christianity through the offer of financial inducements and material benefits. 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 incentives and promised benefits to encourage the abandonment of Hinduism and the adoption of another religion. The religious motivation was evident from the nature of the inducements that were offered. The benefits were not presented as unconditional acts of charity available irrespective of religious affiliation. Instead, they were linked to the acceptance of Christianity and the rejection of Hindu beliefs and practices. This demonstrated that the objective was not social welfare or community assistance, but religious conversion. The fact that material benefits were tied to a change of faith revealed a deliberate attempt to influence the religious choices of Hindu individuals through external incentives rather than personal spiritual conviction. Conversion through inducements was particularly significant because it targeted individuals at points of vulnerability. Further, the accused directed their efforts at economically disadvantaged residents of a rural village, persons with limited access to healthcare, stable employment, and financial security. When financial assistance and material benefits 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 material reasons to abandon it. In this case, the inducements were directed at Hindus specifically, which demonstrated that their religious identity was the reason they were selected as targets. 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 to leave their faith in return for promised benefits, the organisers treated Hindu religious affiliation as something to be discarded and replaced. The success of the entire effort depended upon the abandonment of Hindu beliefs and practices, which revealed a clear and deliberate religious motive. 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. Therefore, this case has been added to the Hinduphobia Tracker's hate crime database. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records an incident based on the date on which the victim suffered the ordeal. In this case, the available material did not specify the exact date on which the conversion-related activities took place. Therefore, 7th September 2026, the date on which the video was posted, has been recorded as the indicative incident date for documentation purposes only. The video showed a large number of women and children. However, the video and the report specifically identified three victims: two men and one woman. Therefore, the victim count was recorded as three (3), although the actual number of victims may be higher.