Hindus being converted to Christanity by missionaries in Uttar Pradesh's Sitapur
Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
11 December, 2024
Case Summary
In the Katsarayya village of Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, a Christian pastor was arrested for carrying out illegal conversions of Hindus. The accused was identified as Pastor Elgin, a resident of the village Mohanpur Grant police station, Ucholia district Lakhimpur Kheri. Inspector in-charge Balwant Shahi registered a case against the Pastor under the 'Uttar Pradesh Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act 2021' and arrested him near Manwa Tiraha. The police officers questioned his followers. The accused Elgin Singh was produced in Sitapur court for judicial custody remand.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
In this instance, the details of the report do not mention the exact method employed by the pastor to convert the Hindus to Christianity, however, since he was arrested under the Uttar Pradesh Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act 2021, which criminalises forced and fraudulent conversions, coercion was likely a factor. Therefore, the first sub-category under which this case has been placed is- Harassment, threats, coercion for conversion. Harassment covers a wide range of behaviours of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behaviour that demeans, humiliates, and intimidates a person, including threats and coercion. Harassment and threats, in this case, find their root on discriminatory grounds which has the effect of nullifying a person’s rights or infringing upon his freedom to exercise his right specifically owing to the victim’s religious identity. Verbal and physical threats and psychological or physical harassment are often used against Hindu victims because they choose to practice their professed religion. Religious harassment also includes forced and involuntary conversions by harassment, threats or coercion. Coercion includes intimidatory tactics like force-feeding a Hindu victim beef to convert to another religion, forceful circumcision etc. In several cases documented, non-Hindu perpetrators or those who harbour specific animosity towards Hinduism, harass victims simply based on their religious identity. Such cases often also include harassment to ensure the Hindu victim abandons his/her professed religion and adopts the religion of the perpetrator. In this subcategory, we would only include cases where the victim was harassed, threatened or coerced to convert. Cases where attempts were made to convert but the victim resisted would be documented in another sub-category. Such cases where Hindu victims are harassed to convert to the perpetrator’s religion are rooted in animosity towards the victim’s religious identity and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. Further, since the exact method is not specified but inducements remain a strong possibility based on established patterns, Conversion/attempts to convert by inducement could also be a fitting category. Given the widespread pattern of conversion attempts using inducements, it is possible that the pastor lured Hindus—particularly from poor and economically weaker backgrounds—by offering material benefits, financial aid, or social upliftment. This tactic has been observed in multiple instances where religious conversion is carried out under the pretext of providing help, rather than being a genuine act of faith transformation. 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.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
