Hindu villagers targeted for forced religious conversion, deities denigrated by Christian couple
Bardoli, Gujarat, India 
28 November, 2024
Case Summary
In the Babla village of Bardoli, Gujarat, Hindu villagers were targeted and offered inducements under the guise of a prayer meeting by a Christian couple. The accused couple also conducted healing meetings and insulted Hindu deities. According to reports, the accused couple, Kamal Naskar and his wife Sarita Naskar, were conducting a Christian prayer meeting in which participants were instructed to renounce Hindu deities and convert to Christianity, the video of which went viral on social media. In the video, the accused couple were seen conducting a prayer meeting where women and children were present. The accused were also attempting to heal a woman who was seen lying down, presumably due to some illness. They administered an oath to the Hindu victims, renouncing faith in Hindu deities and affirming Jesus as the only living and supreme God, including directions to discard images of Hindu gods and goddesses from their homes. Meanwhile, Sarita was also heard saying, “Jesus is the true God." The oath included the words,“ઈશુ આ..!! હમારે હિન્દુ ધર્મ મેં જે ભી દૈવી દેવતા હો, જે વાચા વાચી થી, હમ ઉસ વાચા કો ઈસુ કે નામ સે તોડ દેતે હૈ… ઈસુ હી જીવિત પરમેશ્વર હૈ…મેરા ખાના, મેરી પ્રીત પ્રભુ યેશુ કો હી… ઈસુ પરમેશ્વર કો ભજેંગે, અબ તું હિ હમારા પરમેશ્વર હૈ…” (“Jesus…!! Whatever divine deities we had in our Hindu religion, whatever vows we had taken towards them, we break those vows in the name of Jesus. Jesus alone is the living God. My food and my love belong only to Lord Jesus. We will worship Jesus Christ alone. From now on, You alone are our God.”) After the video surfaced, members of Hindu organisations, including the AntarRashtriya Hindu Parishad and Rashtriya Bajrang Dal, submitted written complaints at Jalalpore Police Station on 29 November 2024, stating that the content of the video hurt the religious sentiments of the Sanatan Hindu community. The police registered a case on 29 November 2024 against Kamal Naskar, Sarita Naskar and an unidentified woman seen participating in the prayer meeting, and the couple was detained by the police for investigation. During the inquiry, police officials stated that the video had been recorded earlier in the Babla village of Bardoli taluka and not on the premises of the Navsari school, though the couple were residents of Navsari. As the controversy intensified, Sarita Naskar released a public apology video claiming that the gathering consisted only of Christians and that no conversion activity had taken place, while expressing regret for hurting Hindu sentiments.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category: Predatory Proselytisation. Within this, the subcategory selected is: Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. Within this, the tertiary category selected is: Conversion of minor and 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 the 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. The other sub-category selected is - Attempting to convert/converting by denigrating Hinduism. In several cases, Hindus are converted or an attempt is made to convert Hindus by denigrating their faith, Hinduism. In such cases, the Hindus associate with the non-Hindu perpetrators often by choice and then, the attempt to convert them by insulting their faith, showing the faith down etc begins. An example of this would be a non-Hindu gathering where the Hindus are attending the gathering of their own free will. However, once they attend the gathering, there is an explicit attempt to convert them by abusing their faith and hailing the faith of the perpetrator. The denigration of the Hindu faith is often based on misrepresentation of the Hindu faith, its doctrine and scriptures and insult to espoused traditions if not blatant lies about Hindu beliefs and ways. Such conversions or attempts at conversions are driven by animosity towards the Hindu faith and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. The other category selected here is- Attack on Hindu religious representations, and, within this, the subcategory selected is- Attack on Hindu religious symbol. Icons and symbols or a religious representation of a spiritual ideal are widely revered in Hinduism. Iconography is of vital significance in the Hindu milieu. It helps connect people’s spiritual beliefs with the real world. Iconography within the Hindu faith takes several shapes and forms. Murtis are of most significance to Hindus, to which daily rituals, prayers and offerings are done. Besides the murtis, there are several other symbols which have deep significance in the Hindu faith – the Om and Swastika for example. Since these Hindu religious symbols hold paramount importance in Hinduism, any desecration of symbols, icons, murtis, religious representations and manifestations, is driven by animosity towards the faith itself which manifests itself through these murtis, icons and symbols. Therefore, any desecration of these Hindu religious symbols and representations is considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. This case has been added to the tracker because Hindu residents were targeted for religious conversion under the guise of a prayer/healing meeting by the Christian couple. Firstly, what is often presented as a simple prayer gathering is in reality a covert attempt at religious conversion. These are not genuine community prayers but calculated efforts to exploit the trust of Hindus and manipulate them into abandoning their faith. By conducting such gatherings, the Christian couple sought to manipulate vulnerable Hindus, taking advantage of their emotional and social circumstances to push them towards conversion. Furthermore, in the video, the accused were seen attempting to heal a woman who was seen lying down, due to some illness. This healing meeting format, often described publicly as a faith healing gathering or Changai Sabha, is a well-recognised tool in organised Christian proselytisation networks. These meetings usually employ songs, testimonies and emotionally charged prayer sessions to influence and induce vulnerable individuals without openly declaring the underlying objective. The absence of transparency is itself central to the method. People attend believing they are seeking comfort, healing or spiritual support, only to be gradually drawn into teachings that undermine their own religious identity and introduce them to the Christian framework presented as the only path to relief. Secondly, the accused couple did not limit their activities to persuasion; they actively denigrated Hinduism and urged Hindus to discard or destroy the idols of their deities. This goes beyond religious debate or proselytisation; it constitutes an act of incitement and insult directed at the core beliefs of the Hindu community. By encouraging villagers to break idols of Hindu deities in their homes, the accused sought to demean their faith and create confusion or doubt about their own religion. Such actions foster an environment of hostility and disrespect towards Hinduism, highlighting the religiously motivated nature of the crime and the deliberate targeting of Hindu beliefs and practices. In Hinduism, idols of Hindu deities are not just artistic representations but are deeply revered manifestations of the divine. Their desecration is seen as a direct affront to the religious sentiments of Hindus and an act of profound disrespect. Thus, such remarks are often driven by deep-seated animosity and deliberate intent to insult Hinduism. Thirdly, in the video, many children were also visible, chanting the name of Jesus. Thus, many of the victims targeted for conversion were minors, which means the element of consent and genuine change of conscience was missing ab initio. Minors, due to their young age and lack of maturity, are particularly vulnerable to manipulation and coercion. They may not have the ability to fully understand the implications of converting to another religion, and the Christian perpetrator purposely targeted and exploited this vulnerability of the victim. Since this case exemplifies the use of coercion and manipulation to achieve religious conversion, it is a blatant act of religious hate, which is why it has been documented here in the hate tracker. The Christian faith, 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 denigration of Hindu deities. In such cases, Christian missionary groups often target and brainwash socially and economically vulnerable Hindus to further their agenda of religious conversions. This form of coercion strips Hindus of their agency and dignity and enforces forced conversions. These are not random or isolated incidents, but rather premeditated efforts to undermine the Hindu faith, persuade Hindus to discard their own faith, and convert to Christianity. Such acts were deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims, and thus, this case was added to the tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents based on when an event occurred or when the victim's ordeal began. It is important to clarify that none of the media sources covering this case has specified the exact date when the prayer meeting took place. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date based on when the FIR was registered, 29 November 2025.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
