Hindus targeted for religious conversion under pretext of prayer and 'healing' meetings in Madhya Pradesh
Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, India 
11 October, 2025
Case Summary
In Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, Hindus were targeted for Christian conversion by some Christian perpetrators under the pretext of attending a prayer meeting and 'healing' session. According to media reports, the incident came to light in Madsa village, within the jurisdiction of Jaitpur police station in Shahdol district. A Christian religious programme named "Changai Sabha", described as a healing and prayer meeting, was organised in a private house where about 22 Hindu individuals had gathered. After receiving information about the event, activists from Vishva Hindu Parishad and other local Hindu bodies arrived at the location and stated that the meeting was encouraging villagers to convert to Christianity. The Hindu activists created a commotion on the spot. Based on the information provided by the Vishva Hindu Parishad, the police reached the site and began investigations against the perpetrators.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. 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 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 incident represented an instance of a hate crime against Hindus. The nature of the conversion efforts and the wider impact on the Hindu community all indicate a targeted action against Hindus as a collectivity. When individuals or groups focus their efforts on converting members of a particular religion, in this case, Hindus, then 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 act of luring Hindus to convert to Christianity under the pretext of a prayer meeting was a deliberate form of religious manipulation. It sought to mislead devotees under the guise of worship, with the specific aim of eroding their faith and detaching them from their ancestral religion, Hinduism. Such practices go beyond mere persuasion. They constitute targeted exploitation of trust for the purpose of forced conversion, which directly undermines the dignity and spiritual freedom of the Hindu community. Such actions are a result of deep-rooted hostility towards Hinduism, making it a religiously motivated crime. Another point to highlight is that the accused lured Hindu victims under the guise of a "Changai Sabha," which is presented as a healing meeting. However, these "healing meetings" were not motivated by charity or goodwill towards the Hindu victims. Instead, they served as a manipulative and coercive method to pressure individuals into converting to Christianity. This form of deceit exploits the vulnerability of the victims by offering false hope of healing while masking an agenda driven by religious animosity towards their faith. The deliberate use of healing as a pretext to induce religious conversion reflects a calculated strategy rooted in prejudice against Hinduism. Such actions are not merely personal persuasion but constitute a religiously motivated crime, targeting the victims' beliefs and undermining their religious autonomy through manipulation and coercion. 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. Since this case meets the parameters of a religiously motivated attack against Hindus and their faith, it is being added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker generally records the date of an incident based on when the crime occurred rather than when it is reported by the media. However, in this case, the media reports have not stated the exact date of the incident. Henceforth, for the purpose of documentation, we are recording an indicative date of 12th October 2025, the date when the media first published this case. This is solely a date used to estimate when the crime likely occurred and to maintain consistent documentation standards.
Victim Details
Total Victim
22
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 22
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 22
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 22
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
