Christian evangelist accused of luring poor individuals for unlawful conversion to Christianity
Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
2 December, 2024
Case Summary
Acting on a tip about religious conversion, the police raided Laukiapur and detained two individuals. Both are reportedly from outside the area. They are accused of gathering people and encouraging them to embrace Christianity. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Khaga unit received information that two outsiders were hosting a prayer meeting in a house in Laukiapur ward, where they were allegedly luring people to convert. Upon receiving the information, a police team conducted a raid at the location and apprehended the two individuals.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This particular case has been classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under Predatory Proselytisation because of the distinct components that demonstrate the perpetrator's bias against the Hindu faith and their deliberate attempt to alienate the victims from their Hindu identity. To narrow down the search further we have chosen the subcategory 'conversion/attempts to convert by inducement' under the core category. 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. In this specific case, it is evident from the details that all the victims belonged to the economically weaker section of society. The Christian evangelists converted them by offering them various monetary and other inducements. Since the motivating factor of the crime was the religious identity of the victims and the intention of disenfranchising them from it, this case has been documented here.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
