Hindu families targeted for religious conversion through financial inducements by Christian missionaries in Malda, West Bengal
West Bengal, India 
31 October, 2026
Case Summary
In Harishchandrapur, Malda district, West Bengal, Hindu families belonging to the Musahar community, a Scheduled Caste community, were targeted for religious conversion by Christian missionaries. The economically disadvantaged families were offered financial incentives in exchange for embracing Christianity. The locality was home to approximately 100 Hindu families, of whom around 40 had been converted to Christianity. According to media reports, on Sunday, 1 November 2026, a Christian prayer meeting was organised at a private residence in the locality in the presence of Christian missionaries. During the gathering, economically vulnerable Hindu families were being induced to embrace Christianity through offers of financial assistance. Local Hindu youths informed members of the Bajrang Dal and Hindu Jagran Manch about the conversion activities taking place during the prayer meeting. Acting on this information, members of the Bajrang Dal and Hindu Jagran Manch reached the residence where the prayer meeting was being held. An argument broke out between members of the Hindu organisations and some of those present at the gathering, which soon escalated into a physical altercation. Five Bajrang Dal members sustained injuries and were admitted to Harishchandrapur Rural Hospital for treatment. Other accounts also stated that several people were injured in the ensuing clash. Representatives of the Hindu organisations stated that Christian missionaries were targeting impoverished Hindu families by offering financial inducements to secure their conversion. Ritam Das, organisational district coordinator of the Malda Bajrang Dal, stated that Christian missionaries were using foreign funds to influence economically vulnerable people and facilitate religious conversions through coercive means. He called for a police investigation and appropriate action against those involved. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arjun Keshri stated that religious conversions carried out through inducements would not be tolerated and that those responsible would be held accountable. Daraj Musahar, a local resident who had already converted to Christianity, claimed that he and others had embraced Christianity voluntarily. He claimed that the gathering was a regular Sunday prayer meeting and denied that any religious conversion was taking place. However, these statements were disputed by local Hindus and members of the Hindu organisations, who maintained that organised conversion activities were being carried out at the site. Malda Superintendent of Police Anupam Singh confirmed that tension had erupted during the prayer meeting. He stated that personnel from Harishchandrapur police station had reached the location after receiving information about the incident. The police initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the confrontation and the activities that had taken place during the prayer meeting.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category selected for this case is: Predatory Proselytisation. The subcategory selected is: Conversion/attempts to convert by inducements. 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. This case constitutes a clear instance of a religiously driven hate crime, as Christian missionaries targeted Hindu families and sought to induce them to abandon their faith by offering financial incentives. The nature of the conversion efforts and their impact on the Hindu community indicate targeted attempts to persuade Hindus to abandon their faith. When individuals or groups specifically direct their conversion efforts towards members of a particular religious community, in this case, Hindus, it demonstrates a fundamental disregard for the Hindu faith. Conversion, especially when not based on personal conviction but rather on external persuasion or pressure, is not simply about sharing a different belief system. It is an attempt to undermine the values, traditions, and identity of the Hindu community. In this context, the Christian perpetrators specifically targeted Hindus, which suggests a lack of respect for Hinduism and its followers. Such actions are carried out to strip Hindu victims of their faith, making it a religiously motivated crime. The use of financial incentives to encourage Christian conversion clearly demonstrates that these actions were not motivated by kindness or charity. Instead, they were calculated attempts to exploit vulnerable Hindu families specifically because of their religion. By providing inducements to Hindus to change their faith, the Christian perpetrators were effectively emotionally blackmailing those Hindus who might have been desperate for assistance. 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 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 are deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims and their faith, making it a religiously motivated crime. This is not an isolated incident. Hinduphobia Tracker has documented several cases of predatory proselytisation in which Hindus were targeted for religious conversion through monetary and other inducements. Between 1 January 2023 and 3 November 2026, a total of 2,052 cases of forced religious conversion were documented by the Hinduphobia Tracker, of which 828 involved the use of inducements to secure conversion. These figures demonstrate a recurring pattern in which economically and socially vulnerable Hindus are targeted and lured into abandoning their faith through material incentives. The present case reflects this wider pattern of targeted religious conversion, making it a clear example of a religiously driven hate crime. These instances of targeted proselytisation activities stem from inherent hostility towards the victims' professed faith, since Abrahamic faiths believe that any non-adherent to their faith is subject to being dehumanised till they convert, making it a religiously motivated crime against Hindus. Therefore, this case is being added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: Although media reports stated that approximately 100 families resided in the locality, of whom around 40 had converted to Christianity, the exact number of Hindu families targeted for religious conversion during the specific incident on 1 November 2026 was not established. Hence, the victim count for this incident has been recorded as 'Unknown'.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
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