Hindu woman lured to embrace Christianity by promises of new house and financial stability; Hindu idols removed from her home

Case Summary
In Durg district of Chhattisgarh, 75-year-old Shyam Bai Yadav from Shivpara Pulgaon underwent a religious conversion to Christianity, lured by promises of a new house and financial stability. She lived with her son, Gokaran, daughter-in-law, Geeta, and two granddaughters in a modest hut. Facing financial hardships, her daughter-in-law introduced her to Pastor Patiram Deshmukh from Kohka, who persuaded them to embrace Christianity, assuring them of a better life. Consequently, they began attending prayer meetings, and religious idols were removed from their home. About three years ago, her son Gokaran passed away suddenly, and Shyam Bai suffered a paralytic stroke. These misfortunes led her to regret abandoning her original faith, as she felt her problems had only intensified post-conversion. Determined to revert to her ancestral religion, she ceased attending church and resumed traditional worship practices. Seeking to end the prayer meetings at her residence, Shyam Bai sought assistance from her family and members of the Bajrang Dal. When Pastor Deshmukh and his associates arrived for a prayer session, Bajrang Dal activists intervened, leading to the arrest of ten individuals, including her daughter-in-law Geeta and Pastor Deshmukh. The police registered a case against them under preventive sections. Shyam Bai resolved to remain steadfast in her original faith, removing all items associated with the pastor from her home and committing to worship her traditional Hindu deities.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is being added to the primary category 'Predatory Proselytisation'. Under the primary category, the first sub-category being 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 second sub-category selected here 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. In this case, the Christian pastor offered inducements like a new house and money to convert the disadvantaged and poor Hindu woman to Christianity. Conversion by inducement is one of the manipulative methods of disenfranchising Hindus of their faith. This method solely focuses on exploiting the vulnerabilities of the victims and offers inducements like money and miracle cures, to convert them to Christianity and alienate them for their professed faith. The method is predatory and exploitative since it uses the vulnerabilities of people to manipulate them into abandoning their faith - not out of real change of heart/faith. Such proselytisation is driven by hostility towards the native faith, thinking of it as inferior, and therefore, it is documented as a religiously motivated hate crime which infringes on the freedom of religion and personal liberty of the victims. Secondly, Christian evangelists here attempted to convert the Hindu victim by insulting the Hindu faith. They convinced the elderly Hindu woman to remove the Hindu idols from her house and attend prayer meetings instead. Since these conversions are motivated by hatred for Hinduism, they are classified as hate crimes with a religious motive.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 1
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 1
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0

Case Status
Arrested

Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
both