Hindu man coerced and threatened with death to convert to Christianity in Madhya Pradesh

Case ID : 32345a1 | Location : Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Thu, 9 October, 2025

Case ID : 32345a1

Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, India

9 October, 2025

Hindu man coerced and threatened with death to convert to Christianity in Madhya Pradesh

Predatory Proselytisation

Harassment, threats, coercion for conversion

Case Summary

In Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, a 50-year-old Hindu man named Noor Singh was pressured by three Christian men to convert to Christianity. The accused had issued death threats to coerce him into adopting their religion. According to media reports, the incident came to light when the matter reached the Tanda Police Station in Dhar district. The police registered a case against three Christians on the night of 12th October 2025, based on a complaint filed by the 50‑year‑old Hindu victim. The incident took place on the evening of 10th October 2025. Tanda Police Station in‑charge Sanjay Kumar Rawat stated that Noor Singh, a resident of Barkachch village, had filed a written complaint against three Christians from his village, stating that they had pressured him to convert to Christianity. According to the complaint, Dayal and Prem Singh of the village held prayer meetings at their homes every Sunday, which were also attended by Suresh from the nearby Geta village. The three accused were forcing Noor Singh to attend these prayer meetings and convert to Christianity. The victim was unwilling to convert. Subsequently, the three accused stopped him near Majru Machhar’s field and threatened to kill him if he disobeyed their instructions. Following this, a case was registered against Dayal, Prem Singh, and Suresh under Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2021, as well as Sections 3(5) and 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The police stated that further investigation was underway as per the standard procedure in such cases. Legal action would be taken against the accused once the investigation was completed.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. The subcategory selected 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. This case in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, is a clear instance of a religiously motivated hate crime against a Hindu man. The 50‑year‑old Hindu victim, Noor Singh, was coerced by three Christian men to attend Christian prayer meetings with the intention of converting him to Christianity. Such acts of forced or coercive conversion reveal deep‑seated religious animosity toward the Hindu man due to his religious identity. Conversion that does not arise from free will or spiritual conviction but rather from manipulation, intimidation, or force is not a genuine act of faith. It represents a deliberate attempt to strip the victim of his Hindu identity and religion, making it a religiously motivated crime. When the Hindu victim resisted attending these prayer meetings and refused to change his religion, the three Christian perpetrators surrounded him and issued death threats. Their attempt to intimidate and force him into submission revealed the extent of religious hostility behind the act. The fact that the simple refusal to participate in conversion‑oriented gatherings and converting to Christianity was met with such threats demonstrated the perpetrators’ intent to impose their faith through fear and coercion, thereby violating the victim’s religious freedom and personal autonomy. Media reports also demonstrated that the accused were regularly conducting Christian prayer meetings every Sunday in the village. These gatherings were not mere acts of worship but served as a front to lure, manipulate, and pressure local Hindus into conversion. Using prayer as a pretext to convert individuals from another faith through coercion or deceit showcased a clear pattern of religious targeting. This systematic attempt to manipulate and convert Hindu victims against their will constituted a religiously motivated hate crime, rooted in hostility toward the Hindu faith and aimed at erasing the victims’ cultural and spiritual identity. These instances of targeted proselytisation activities stem from inherent hostility towards the victim's 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 multiple 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: Media reports in this case stated that the accused were conducting prayer meetings every Sunday and targeting multiple Hindus for conversion. However, the exact number of affected Hindus was not specified. The only individual named in the reports was Noor Singh, who was threatened and coerced by the accused. Therefore, for documentation purposes, a conservative estimate has been adopted, and the victim count is recorded as '1', referring specifically to Noor Singh.