Hindus targeted for conversion at Christian community conference in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh
Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India 
13 October, 2025
Case Summary
A religious conversion attempt was reported in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, during the 72nd annual conference of the Christian community organised at the Pentecostal Church ground in Ghana, under the Khamaria police station area. The conference, held between 14 and 19 October 2025, came under scrutiny after activists of the Bajrang Dal stated that large-scale conversions were taking place under the guise of a religious gathering. The organisation stated that several Hindu families were being lured into Christianity through the event, prompting members to arrive at the venue and raise objections. As tensions rose, Bajrang Dal workers gathered in large numbers and chanted slogans of “Jai Shri Ram,” accusing the organisers of running a covert conversion campaign. They further pointed out that the chairman of the organising committee himself belonged to a Hindu family, questioning the credibility of the organisers’ claims. The uproar soon turned into a scene of confrontation, disrupting the event and drawing police intervention. Upon receiving information about the disturbance, officers from Khamaria police station reached the site and engaged with both sides. The organisers denied any conversion activity, claiming that only non-Hindus had been invited to participate in the conference. After prolonged discussions, the police managed to calm the situation and prevent further escalation.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category in this case is: Predatory Proselytisation. The subcategory under this 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 proselytisation, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. This case has been added to the Hinduphobia Tracker under the category of Predatory Proselytisation because it reflects a recurring and deeply concerning pattern in which Hindu families are subtly targeted for religious conversion under the guise of cultural or charitable gatherings. While the organisers of the Jabalpur event denied that conversions were taking place, the context and sequence of events bear striking resemblance to numerous past incidents where similar “conferences,” “healing sessions,” or “prayer meetings” were later exposed as covert proselytising exercises. These events often begin as innocuous community or social gatherings but gradually evolve into platforms for indoctrination, where faith-based manipulation and emotional grooming are employed to influence vulnerable individuals, particularly from lower-income or socially marginalised Hindu families. The choice of targeting Hindu families underlines the religious animosity inherent in such operations. Across several states, including Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha, investigations have revealed that conversion networks often rely on creating psychological dependency through promises of healing, education, or financial aid. The indoctrination process begins subtly, aiming to induce disaffection towards Hindu practices by portraying them as superstitious, while glorifying the alternative faith as a path to salvation. Over time, this erodes the spiritual confidence of the victims and alienates them from their roots, their deities, and their community. Such systematic manipulation, though not always overtly violent, constitutes a slow form of cultural erasure, targeting Hindus for their religious identity. In the Jabalpur case, while direct proof of conversion is still under investigation, the structure, timing, and nature of the gathering suggest elements consistent with prior incidents of religious grooming. Activists intervened based on community intelligence and the recurring pattern of such events being used as cover for conversion efforts. This pattern itself is evidence of intent and method. The targeting of Hindu families, under deceptive religious pretexts, reflects underlying hostility toward the Hindu faith and its followers. It is therefore classified as a hate crime driven by religious motivation.
Case Status
Complaint not filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
