Hindu man subjected to intimidation and threats of violence over refusal to convert to Buddhism

Case ID : 63c009e | Location : Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Mon, 9 June, 2025

Case ID : 63c009e

Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, India

9 June, 2025

Hindu man subjected to intimidation and threats of violence over refusal to convert to Buddhism

Predatory Proselytisation

Harassment, threats, coercion for conversion

Case Summary

In the Raniganj area of Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, a Hindu man named Jeet Lal was forced to convert to Buddhism by his family and his neighbours. He received violent threats for not complying with their demands. According to reports, Jeet Lal’s family had already converted to Buddhism, after which his family members and his two Buddhist neighbours attempted to persuade him to adopt Buddhism. When Jeet Lal refused to leave Hinduism and embrace Buddhism, the two accused began threatening him. The individuals accused of issuing threats were identified as Rajendra Maurya and Radhe Shyam Maurya. Jeet Lal was constantly subjected to threats of physical assault and social ostracism if he did not convert to Buddhism. Distressed by the situation, the victim reached out to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and submitted a complaint to him during the Sampoorna Samadhan Diwas in Raniganj. Fearing for his safety, the victim called on the authorities to take strict action against both accused men.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. Within this, the subcategory selected 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. 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. In this case, the violent threats and coercion directed at Jeet Lal for refusing to convert to Buddhism clearly meet the definition of a religiously motivated crime, as these actions were motivated by religious hostility towards Hinduism and its adherents. Jeet Lal was singled out and threatened not due to any personal dispute, but specifically because he refused to abandon his Hindu faith and convert to Buddhism. The pressure came not only from his Buddhist neighbours but also from his own family, who had already converted. When persuasion failed, the accused, Rajendra Maurya and Radhe Shyam Maurya, resorted to issuing threats of violence and social ostracism. This pattern of behaviour demonstrates a clear intent to punish and intimidate the Hindu victim for maintaining his Hindu identity, directly targeting him for his religious beliefs. Such instances are the result of deep-seated animosity towards the victim on account of his Hindu identity. In many such cases, non-Hindus target Hindu individuals based on the prejudice and disdain they hold for Hinduism. Furthermore, in this case, the victim was threatened with physical violence for refusing to convert. Forcing a Hindu man to renounce his religion under threat of violence is a hallmark of religious hate crimes. The threats to beat Jeet Lal and ostracise him from society were not merely attempts at conversion; they were acts designed to instil fear and demonstrate contempt for Hinduism. This was an arm-twisting tactic that the perpetrator adopted to compel the victim to renounce her professed faith and accept the alien faith. This constitutes a religiously motivated hate crime as such actions are driven by intolerance towards the victim's religious identity and aim to coerce them into abandoning their faith, often accompanied by threats, violence, or other forms of intimidation.