Hindu workers offered inducements for religious conversion under the guise of prayer meeting by Christian couple
Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu, India 
13 December, 2025
Case Summary
In Singampunari town of Sivaganga district, Tamil Nadu, communal tensions escalated after Hindu workers were targeted and offered inducements for religious conversion under the guise of a prayer meeting by a Christian couple. According to reports, on 14 December 2025, a Christmas programme was held at the premises of Sethuramalingam Oil Mill on Melur Road. The event was organised by the mill owner, Sudha and her husband, who were Christians and had invited Christian priests to conduct a japa meeting/prayer meeting. Food, rice and monetary assistance were distributed to Hindu and Muslim workers employed at the mill, along with pamphlets containing religious messaging, and preaching activity took place inside the private premises. Upon receiving information about the illegal conversion activities, functionaries of the BJP, Hindu Munnani and the RSS reached the location and questioned the organisers regarding the conduct of the religious programme. They stated that the program was held without statutory permission, which led to a heated argument between both sides. Inspector Dayalan reached the spot, dispersed the gathering and stopped the event on the grounds that permission had not been obtained. Thereafter, Hindu Munnani Union president Krishnakumar submitted a complaint at the Singampunari police station seeking action against the organisers for conducting a conversion-oriented programme, though the police did not issue any acknowledgement for the complaint. However, based on a counter-complaint filed by the oil mill management and event organisers, the police registered cases and arrested six Hindu organisation functionaries, Senthilkumar (BJP), Balasubramanian (RSS), Santosh Kumar, Krishnakumar, Thangapandiyan and Muruga Selvam, on charges including trespass, intimidation and provisions of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act. Following the arrests, Hindu Front and BJP members gathered outside the Singampunari police station and staged a sit-in and siege protest, accusing the police of false cases, selective action and refusal to register complaints from Hindu organisations. The arrests and protests led to heightened tension in the area, with a heavy police presence deployed to control the situation.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category selected in this case is- Predatory Proselytisation. The sub-category selected is - Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. 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. This case has been added to the tracker because Hindu workers were targeted and offered inducements for religious conversion under the guise of a prayer meeting by a Christian couple. Firstly, the Christian couple invited priests and organised a prayer meeting where Hindus were targeted for conversion. Although the prayer meeting was presented as a Christmas celebration, the manner in which it was conducted revealed a covert strategy aimed at religious conversion. The event was organised within a private industrial premises, without statutory permission, and was not disclosed transparently to the authorities. The combination of secrecy, inducements and targeted preaching demonstrated a deliberate attempt to avoid scrutiny while influencing vulnerable individuals. By conducting such gatherings covertly, the accused sought to manipulate vulnerable Hindus, taking advantage of their emotional and social circumstances to push them towards conversion. Secondly, the distribution of food, rice and monetary assistance during the programme at the oil mill demonstrated that the activities went beyond a routine religious gathering. Offering incentives or making false promises, especially when directed at vulnerable individuals in need, shows that these incentives are not acts of kindness or charity. Instead, they are calculated moves to exploit vulnerable Hindus because of religion. By providing inducements or promising healing in exchange for conversion, the accused were effectively blackmailing those who might have been desperate for assistance or hope. Such instances are seen in many cases where members of Christian missionary groups target socially and economically vulnerable Hindus to further their agenda of religious conversions. This form of coercion strips people of their agency and dignity and results in coerced conversions. These are not random or isolated incidents, but rather cases deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims. Thirdly, the organisers also disseminated Christian religious pamphlets and engaged in preaching directed at Hindu workers present at the premises. Using the scriptures or literature of one faith to deliberately target and manipulate members of another, with the clear intention of religious conversion, represents a direct attack on the Hindu faith. Such actions are designed to violate and undermine the beliefs of Hindu victims and are clear indicators of religious hostility towards Hindus and their religious identity. Such actions further demonstrate that this was not an isolated incident of evangelism, but rather part of a broader, organised operation to further religious conversions. When Christian religious material is used to exploit trust, sow doubt, and misrepresent the beliefs of Hindus to coerce conversion, particularly in a systematic manner, it constitutes a religiously motivated offence. The Christian faith, by its very theological foundations, places a strong emphasis on proselytisation. In pursuit of conversion objectives, Christian evangelists often employ unethical means, ranging from psychological pressure and misinformation to inducements such as money or jobs. These tactics are designed not as acts of charity but as tools to engineer religious change under the guise of social upliftment, particularly among vulnerable and underprivileged communities.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
