Hindu woman and minor son pressured to convert to Christianity through promises of healing and inducements; woman held captive and sexually abused
Kanker, Chhattisgarh, India 
17 October, 2021
Case Summary
In the Musurputta village in Sarona tehsil, Kanker district, Chhattisgarh, a Hindu woman was forced to convert to Christianity by Pastor Dilip Chakradhari through promises of healing and material assistance, and was pressured to abandon Hindu religious practices. She was subsequently held hostage and subjected to physical and sexual abuse. Her 15-year-old son was also pressured to convert to Christianity, but refused because of his Hindu faith. Subsequently, the 15-year-old Hindu boy submitted a written complaint to City Kotwali police station seeking justice for his mother. According to the complaint, the boy’s father, Rajkumar Sahu, died in a road accident in 2021, after which his mother’s health deteriorated, and she experienced mental distress. During this period, Ambika Sahu, a Christian-converted woman living in their neighbourhood, introduced his mother to Pastor Dilip Chakradhari. The pastor told the Hindu woman that her God had failed to save her husband and that she would have to convert to Christianity to recover from her illness. He promised to cure her through Jesus Christ and provide all necessary household amenities. He also instructed her to stop worshipping Hindu gods and goddesses and offering prasad. Following these assurances, the Hindu woman converted to Christianity and moved into the pastor’s residence. The pastor and his associates also attempted to persuade her minor son to convert, but he refused and went to live with his grandmother. The Hindu boy stated that he periodically asked his mother to return home, but she told him that the pastor pressured her to remain at his residence. According to the complaint, the pastor threatened to ruin and disgrace her if she left and threatened to harm her son. She also disclosed repeated instances of abuse to her son. On 18 October 2026, at around 1.30 pm, police personnel took the Hindu boy from his home to City Kotwali police station, where Pastor Dilip Chakradhari was already present. The pastor told the boy that if his mother died at his residence, the villagers would blame him, and pressured him to sign a written agreement. The boy stated that he signed the document out of fear because police personnel were present and that he was not given an opportunity to understand its contents. The document named Shahid Khan and a woman from the village as witnesses, and the boy’s photograph was taken. When he asked to meet his mother, the police did not allow him to do so and sent him with the pastor, who dropped him near Salhetola Chowk. The boy went back to his home. On 21 October 2026, Shahid Khan telephoned the boy and informed him that his mother had died in hospital and that her body had been abandoned. The information was subsequently conveyed to the village. However, during a village meeting on 22 October 2026, the village head informed those present that the woman had not died and was hospitalised. On 23 October 2026, the Hindu boy, accompanied by villagers, visited the hospital, where doctors confirmed that the Hindu woman had injuries to her private parts and a lung infection. She was admitted to the intensive care unit. The boy sought an impartial criminal investigation and legal action under the Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act, as well as action concerning the reported threats, physical and sexual exploitation of his mother, and the pressure placed on him as a minor to sign the written agreement.
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 here is - Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination, with the tertiary category being - Conversion of minor. 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 sub-category selected here 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 here 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 sub-category selected here is - Harassment, threats, coercion for conversion. Harassment covers a wide range of behaviours of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behaviour that demeans, humiliates, and intimidates a person, including threats and coercion. Harassment and threats, in this case, find their root on discriminatory grounds which has the effect of nullifying a person’s rights or infringing upon his freedom to exercise his right specifically owing to the victim’s religious identity. Verbal and physical threats and psychological or physical harassment are often used against Hindu victims because they choose to practice their professed religion. Religious harassment also includes forced and involuntary conversions by harassment, threats or coercion. Coercion includes intimidatory tactics like force-feeding a Hindu victim beef to convert to another religion, forceful circumcision etc. In several cases documented, non-Hindu perpetrators or those who harbour specific animosity towards Hinduism, harass victims simply based on their religious identity. Such cases often also include harassment to ensure the Hindu victim abandons his/her professed religion and adopts the religion of the perpetrator. Such cases where Hindu victims are harassed to convert to the perpetrator’s religion are rooted in animosity towards the victim’s religious identity and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. The hate crime aspect of this case stemmed from the targeting of the victim's Hindu religious identity and the pressure exerted on her to abandon her faith. This was significant because the approach went beyond offering religious support or introducing her to another faith. It involved presenting her existing religion as powerless while promoting conversion as the means of obtaining healing and relief from hardship. The promise of a cure through Jesus Christ and the provision of household necessities further connected her vulnerable circumstances to the pressure to change her religious affiliation. 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 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. Such instances are seen in many cases where members of Christian missionary groups target socially and economically vulnerable Hindus to further their agenda of religious conversions. This form of coercion strips people of their agency and dignity and results in coerced conversions. These are not random or isolated incidents, but rather cases deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims. The pressure to abandon Hindu religious practices provided a further indication of religious targeting. The Hindu woman was instructed to stop worshipping Hindu gods and goddesses and offering prasad, practices through which she expressed and maintained her faith. This goes beyond religious debate or proselytisation; it constitutes an act of incitement and insult directed at the core beliefs of the Hindu community. Such remarks are designed to demean and undermine the faith of Hindus and intend to create an inferiority complex in the minds of the victims against their own faith. This fosters an environment of hostility and disrespect towards the Hindu community and Hindu deities. These acts of insulting Hinduism stem from Christian theology, which harbours disdain and hatred for polytheistic faiths, and which categorises Hindus as ‘polytheists’, thereby fostering hatred against them. Such actions make the religiously motivated nature of the crime even more evident. The pastor’s statement that the woman’s God had failed to save her husband was a direct disparagement of her Hindu faith, particularly given her bereavement and emotional distress. By using her personal loss to undermine her religious beliefs and presenting conversion to Christianity as a means of healing, he exploited her vulnerability to discredit Hinduism and encourage her to abandon her faith. Furthermore, the threats and abuse further strengthened the connection between religious conversion and the harm suffered by the Hindu woman. She was pressured to remain at the pastor’s residence and threatened with disgrace and harm to her son if she attempted to leave. She also disclosed repeated instances of abuse. The physical and sexual abuse also exploited her vulnerability in the context of religious conversion. Pressuring a Hindu individual to discard her religious faith and embrace another was a direct attack on her religious identity and dignity. It was not a matter of personal choice; it was coercion rooted in hostility towards the victim's Hindu identity. Such an attempt reflects religious animosity because the act was not simply about personal differences but about erasing the victim’s Hindu faith, making it a religiously motivated crime. The physical and sexual abuse, threats and pressure to remain at the pastor’s residence also underscored that coercion was being used to keep the woman within the Christian fold and prevent her from leaving. In the context of the conversion pressure, these circumstances demonstrated that intimidation and abuse were used to restrict her freedom to leave and reverse her conversion. Additionally, pressure was also placed on the woman’s 15-year-old son for conversion, demonstrating the wider implications of the incident for the family’s religious identity. It is further important to note here that the boy was a minor, which means the element of consent and genuine change of conscience was missing ab initio. Minors, due to their young age and lack of maturity, are particularly vulnerable to manipulation and coercion. They may not have the ability to fully understand the implications of converting to another religion, and the perpetrator purposely targeted and exploited this vulnerability of the victim. Since this case exemplifies the use of coercion and manipulation to achieve religious conversion, it is a blatant act of religious hate. 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. These tactics are designed not as acts of charity but as tools to engineer religious change under the guise of social upliftment, particularly among vulnerable and underprivileged communities. This systematic attempt to erode the religious foundation of individuals and replace it with allegiance to another faith reflects deep religious malice and animus against the Hindu identity. Because the core motivation of the act stems from hostility toward the victim’s religion, it meets the threshold of a hate crime. Hence, categorised as a hate crime in the database. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records the date of the incident based on when the crime occurred or when the victim's ordeal began. The media reported this case on 24 October 2026; however, they do not specify the exact date of the beginning of the victim’s ordeal. The Hindu woman's husband died in 2021, after which her health worsened. During this period she came into contact with the came in contact with Pastor Dilip Chakradharim through her a local Christian woman, Ambika Sahu. Furthermore, on 18 October 2026, the minor Hindu boy was called to the Kotwali Police station. Considering these two pieces of information, we are using an indicative date of 18 October 2021 as the date of the incident. This date is used for documentation purposes only and represents the estimated beginning of her ordeal.
Victim Details
Total Victim
2
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 1
- Female 1
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 2
Age Group
- Minor 1
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
