Christian evangelists distribute religious booklets and denigrate Hinduism to convert Hindu man to Christianity

Case ID : 5954a23 | Location : Seorinarayan, Chhattisgarh, India | Date of Incident : Sat, 21 December, 2024
Case ID : 5954a23
location Seorinarayan, Chhattisgarh, India
date 21 December, 2024
Christian evangelists distribute religious booklets and denigrate Hinduism to convert Hindu man to Christianity
Predatory Proselytisation
Attempting to convert/converting by denigrating Hinduism

Case Summary

A case of religious conversion was reported in the Seorinarayan district, leading to the arrest of six individuals. According to the police, four women and two men were distributing religious booklets in shops, urging people to convert to their religion and making objectionable remarks about another faith. The complainant, Buddheshwar Kesharwani, stated that he was at his electrical shop when a group of women and men approached him. They handed him a booklet titled A Gift That Changes Everything and referred to it as a gift from their Lord. The group encouraged him to adopt their religion, claiming their Lord was more powerful and full of divine power. They also made derogatory comments about another religion during the conversation. Based on the complaint, Shivrinarayan police registered a case of religious conversion against Sanjay Sahu, Krishna Sahu, Gayatri Sahu, Punibai Sahu, Sushila Sahu, and Girja Sahu. Authorities assured that all individuals involved in the incident would be investigated thoroughly and brought to justice.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This particular case has been classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under the core category of 'Predatory Proselytisation' because of the various distinct components that demonstrate the perpetrator's bias against the Hindu faith and the deliberate attempt to alienate the victims from their Hindu identity. The sub-category which has been 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 particular case, the Christian evangelists were overtly trying to convert a Hindu man by disparaging Hinduism while glorifying their own faith, Christianity. In an effort to indoctrinate the Hindu victim against his religion—which itself is a product of hostility towards their faith—they were denigrating Hinduism, claiming that abandoning Hinduism would alleviate their suffering and illnesses. The Christian missionaries were extolling their faith by promising a better life if the victim embraced Christianity. This tactic indicates an intention to undermine the victim's religious beliefs as part of the conversion attempt. It is nothing but a part of a broader pattern of predatory proselytisation and religious manipulation, targeting vulnerable Hindus and attempting to replace their beliefs through a combination of emotional and psychological, tactics. For this reason, this case has been added to the tracker.

Victim Details

Total Victim

1

Deceased

0


Gender

  • Male 1
  • Female 0
  • 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 Background
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Case Status


Arrested

Case Status Background
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Perpetrators Details

Perpetrators


Christian Extremists

Perpetrators Range


From 5 to 10

Perpetrators Gender


both

Case Details SVG
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