Villagers lured with inducements to convert into Christianity in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh
Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, India 
6 December, 2025
Case Summary
A resident of Khapabhat village, Kamlesh Kawareti, reported that during a prayer meeting held on 7th December 2025, certain individuals attempted to persuade a large number of villagers to change their religion by offering benefits. According to his complaint, the accused, Saty Narayan from the same village, Rajesh from Nagpur’s Samta Nagar, and Aradhana from the ELC Church Compound, tried to influence residents by promising financial aid, better educational opportunities for their children, and assistance in securing employment. After information about the inducement-based conversion effort surfaced, members of Hindu organisations and the police arrived at the location. The Hindu activists registered their objection on the spot and demanded immediate action. Based on Kamlesh’s statement, the police registered a case against the three individuals under Sections 3 and 5 of the Religious Freedom Act, 2021, which relate to the prohibition of forced or induced religious conversion. All three were taken into police custody for further investigation.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category: 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 has been added to the tracker because villagers were targeted and offered inducements for religious conversion by Christian missionaries. Firstly, offering incentives or inducements, especially when directed at vulnerable individuals in need, shows that these incentives were not acts of kindness or charity. Instead, they were calculated moves to exploit vulnerable Hindus because of their religion. By providing inducements or promising monetary benefits in exchange for conversion, the accused were effectively blackmailing those who might have been desperate for assistance or hope. 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 people of their agency and dignity and results in coerced conversions. These are not random or isolated incidents, but rather cases deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims. Often, such religious gatherings or prayer meetings serve as a covert attempt at religious conversion. These are not genuine community prayers or gatherings but calculated efforts to exploit the trust of vulnerable villagers and manipulate them into abandoning their faith. The meeting was held inside a house, indicating a deliberate and deceptive strategy designed to avoid public attention and scrutiny. By conducting such gatherings covertly, the Christian missionaries sought to manipulate poor individuals, taking advantage of their emotional and social circumstances to push them towards conversion. Christianity, by its very theological foundations, places a strong emphasis on proselytisation. In pursuit of conversion objectives, Christian evangelists often employ unethical means, ranging from psychological pressure and misinformation to inducements such as money or jobs. These tactics are designed not as acts of charity but as tools to engineer religious change under the guise of social upliftment, particularly among vulnerable and underprivileged communities. This systematic attempt to erode the religious foundation of individuals and replace it with allegiance to another faith reflects deep religious malice and animus against the Hindu community. The core motivation of the act stems from hostility towards the victims' religion. Therefore, this case is being added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
both
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