Attempt to convert Hindu women and children to Christianity in the name of 'prayer meeting'
Lakhimpur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
25 December, 2024
Case Summary
In Ram Vatika Dham locality of Dhaurehra, Lakhimpur, Christian missionaries were trying to convert Hindu women and children to Christianity in the guise of conducting prayer meetings. They attempted to convert a large number of Hindu women and children by gathering them in the hall of a house in Ramvatika Dham Mohalla of Dhaurehra. Hindu organisations informed Tehsildar Aditya Vishal and Inspector in charge Suresh Kumar Mishra, however, when Tehsildar Aditya Vishal and the Inspector in charge reached there with the police force the crowd present there had already left. Religious texts related to Christianity were found on the spot. The police arrested the accused Deepak Kashyap into custody. The accused Deepak Kashyap admitted that he came to Dhaurehra in 2012 and kept preaching the missionary and bought land in the Ramvatika locality and built a house. He had been converting people by preaching about Jesus Christ since 2019. The inspector in charge Suresh Kumar Mishra registered a case against Deepak.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This particular case has been classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under the sub-category: Proselytisation by brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination, under the core category of 'Predatory Proselytisation' because the details of the case clearly demonstrate the perpetrator's bias against the victim's faith and the deliberate attempt to alienate them from their religious identity. Further, the two tertiary categories selected are- Conversion of minors and Pattern of targeting Hindus. Religious brainwashing essentially means the often subtle and forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up their religious beliefs to accept contrasting regimented ideas. Religious grooming or brainwashing also involves propaganda and manipulation. It involves the systematic effort, driven by religious malice and indoctrination, to persuade “non-believers’ to accept allegiance, command, or doctrine to and of a contrasting faith. Cases of such grooming or brainwashing are far more nuanced than direct threats, coercion, inducement and violence. In such cases, it is often seen that there is repeated, subtle and continual manipulation of the victim to induce disaffection towards their own faith and acceptance of the contrasting faith of the perpetrator. While subtle indoctrination is widely acknowledged as predatory, an element which is often understated in such conversions or the attempts of such conversion is the role of loyalty and trust which might develop between the perpetrator and the victim. Fiduciary relationships are often abused to affect such religious conversion. For example, an educator transmitting religious doctrine of a competing faith to a Hindu student. The Hindu student is likely to accept what the teacher is transmitting owing to existence of the fiduciary relationship. The exploitation of the fiduciary relationship to religiously indoctrinate victims would also be included in this category. Since the underlying animosity towards the victim’s faith forms the basis of predatory proselytization, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. Here, the use of a prayer gathering as a cover suggests that the individuals involved may have been using indirect methods to lure or convince others into conversion, possibly targeting vulnerable people by exploiting their emotional, social, or religious needs. As such, this constitutes a religiously motivated hate crime as actions like these are driven by intolerance towards the victim's religious identity and aim to coerce them into abandoning their faith. It is important to mention here that the victims in this case include children, indicating a lack of consent and a genuine change of conscience. It is a well-established fact that children are more susceptible to manipulation since they are still developing emotionally, cognitively, and socially. Their brains are not fully matured, making them more vulnerable to influence and less capable of critically evaluating information. Moreover, subtle manipulation tactics can be difficult to detect, especially when employed by trusted authority figures in positions of influence. This makes it challenging for parents, to identify and address instances of religious manipulation. Consequently, cases involving religious manipulation of minors not only represent an infringement on an individual's religious freedom but also demonstrate a calculated strategy of targeting those who are less able to resist or understand the long-term implications of conversion, making it a significant case of religious-motivated hate crime. For this reason, this case has been added to the tracker.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
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