Christian missionaries lure 95 Hindus to convert to Christianity by inducement, prohibit them from worshipping Hindu deities
Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, India 
29 April, 2023
Case Summary
In Sagar district, Madhya Pradesh, a Bhagwat Katha organised by Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri of Bageshwar Dham marked the return of 95 individuals from 50 Hindu families to the Sanatan fold after they had converted to Christianity six months earlier. The conversions were facilitated by Christian missionaries who enticed them with various incentives, including goats, mosquito nets, free food, and education. During the week-long Bhagwat Katha event, these individuals, who had previously left Hinduism, expressed their free will to return to the Sanatan Hindu Dharma. Influenced by the religious discourses conducted by Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, the returnees shared their experiences on stage, recounting the promises made by the Christian missionaries, such as prohibiting the worship of Hindu deities, wearing Hindu symbols, and displaying pictures of Hindu gods. Bhagwan Das Sen, a resident of the Badona area of Sagar district said, “The Missionary people lured me for goats, they said they will prove me goats, as I rely on them for my livelihood, I started visiting the Church. They took me to Rajghat where they asked me to take a dip in a pond, after this they said, I have become a Christian. I came to the Katha and felt like I should return to Sanatan Dharma." Another convert Gulabrani Ahirwar from Shahgarh said, "They asked me to take a dip in water and said, I have become Christian and that I have been converted. They asked me to remove my Bindi, toe rings, bangles and nuptial chain." The convertees participated in Aarti, received blessings from Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, and expressed remorse for straying from their original faith due to greed.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The Christian missionaries in this instance coerced the Hindus into renunciating their professed faith, which is a direct result of their doctrinal and intrinsic animosity against Hinduism. Above all, they used the promise of financial gain to entice the victims, who were Hindu and came from marginalised families, to convert. Due to these specific facts, the case fits into the hate tracker's core category of 'predatory proselytization' and qualifies under the subcategory of 'conversion 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.
Victim Details
Total Victim
95
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 95
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 95
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 95
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
