Hindu villagers lured to convert to Christianity under pretext of 'curing diseases' in Madhya Pradesh
Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh, India 
27 September, 2025
Case Summary
In Guwalrundi village in Thandla Tehsil, Jhabua District, Madhya Pradesh, Hindu villagers were lured to convert to Christianity under the pretext of curing diseases by Christian men named Dalsingh Gundia, Rakesh Bhabhar, Kantu Katara, and Kehji Bhabhar. According to media reports, the Hindu villagers stated that the Christian perpetrators misled innocent people by claiming that they could cure diseases and attempted to convert them to Christianity. Two Hindu residents, Tolsingh Damor and Madu Bhabhar of Guwalrundi, alongside other villagers, submitted a petition requesting an investigation and registration of a case against the Christian perpetrators. Complainant Tolsingh stated to the police that Dalsingh Gundia worked as a member of a Christian missionary group, conducting conversion activities from village to village. Villagers stated that such a conversion attempt first occurred on 28th September 2025, when Dalsingh visited their village for conversion activities. Upon objection, he issued a written apology and assured residents he would not visit nearby villages again. Nevertheless, villagers stated that even after this, Dal Singh again visited Kehji’s residence in Guwalrundi village on 18th October 2025. Kehji claimed that Dal Singh had cured his illness, which prompted the visit. Villagers further stated that the accused continued to carry out unlawful conversions under the guise of curing diseases. Following these events, a large number of villagers assembled at Thandla police station demanding strict action against the accused. The Thandla police received the complaint and promptly commenced an investigation.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is being added to the tracker under the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. The subcategory selected 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 subcategory selected is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. The tertiary category selected is- Pattern of targeting Hindus. 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 case constitutes a clear instance of a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus. In this incident, Christian perpetrators targeted Hindu villagers by deceitfully promising to cure their illnesses. The use of disease healing as a pretext to induce conversion demonstrated a manipulative form of coercion rooted in religious hostility. It exploited the vulnerability of Hindu victims, who were suffering or seeking relief, and used their trust to lure them away from their Hindu faith under false promises. This deceitful inducement was not based on compassion or goodwill but on the deliberate intention to weaken the Hindu community and convert them to Christianity, making it a textbook case of a religion-driven hate crime. Under such false acts of healing, the accused manipulated victims psychologically and spiritually, intending to strip them of their Hindu belief systems and enforce conversion to Christianity. This not only illustrated an invasive attack on religious identity but also reflected deliberate animosity and contempt towards Hindu faith traditions, making it a religiously motivated crime. The evidence also revealed that the accused were not attempting to convert just one or two individuals. They systematically targeted large numbers of Hindus across multiple villages, conducting organised conversion drives. Their movement from village to village highlights a pattern of premeditated, coordinated activity rather than any isolated instance. This organised effort to convert Hindus under the guise of faith healing plainly demonstrated deep-seated religious animosity. 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. Consequently, this instance stands as a clear example of a religiously motivated hate crime and has therefore been entered into the Hinduphobia Tracker’s hate crime database. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records the date of an incident based on when the victims' ordeal began, rather than the most recent related event. In this case, although the most recent attempt of forced conversion occurred on 18th October 2025, media reports state that the initial attempt to convert Hindu villagers took place earlier, on 28th September 2025. For accuracy and consistency, 28th September 2025 has been chosen as the date of the incident for this case to reflect the onset of the victims' suffering. This approach ensures that the Tracker captures the full timeline of victimisation rather than isolated moments within the case.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
