Christian missionaries lured 100 Dalits including women and children to convert to Christanity
Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, India 
24 December, 2024
Case Summary
A video went viral on social media displaying 100 women, men and children of Dalit Hindu families being lured and converted to Christianity in a Christian prayer hall. A video was shot of the event and was sent to the police of Vishunpura police station, accusing them of converting innocent poor and Dalit Hindu families. On receiving the information, the police officials from Vishunpura police station immediately reached the spot and arrested the organiser of the event. The organiser of the prayer meeting was inciting all the people present there to go to the police station in a group. Sanjay Sharma, a Hindu resident of Dudhi Nagar Panchayat of Vishunpura police station area, gave a written complaint with evidence to the police of Vishunpura police station and demanded action against the Christian man Harendra Prasad, son of Bipat Prasad, who organised the prayer meeting and accused him of luring and converting innocent Dalit and poor Hindu families to Christianity. SHO Ramsahay Chauhan of the Vishunpura police station filed a case and arrested the Christian organiser.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Predatory proselytisation. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Conversion/attempts to convert through 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. Here, some Christian evangelists attempted to convert poor Hindus through various allurements. The use of inducements to convert individuals is indeed a common tactic in efforts to influence or manipulate vulnerable individuals into changing their faith. This approach often targets economically disadvantaged groups, offering material benefits such as food, money, or livestock in exchange for conversion. It creates a form of dependency that can alienate individuals from their original faith, as they may feel compelled to convert not out of genuine belief but due to immediate needs or financial pressures. Here too, the Christian evangelists adopted a similar tactic of exploiting the vulnerability of the Hindus to convert them to Christianity. Since exploiting vulnerabilities for the explicit purpose of conversion is purely based on animosity towards the victim's faith, this case has been categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime.
Victim Details
Total Victim
100
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 100
Caste
- SC/ST 100
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 0
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 100
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
