Six Christian evangalists in Chhattisgarh deceptively convert villagers to Christianity under the guise of medical treatment, arrested
Jashpurnagar, Chhattisgarh, India 
26 February, 2023
Case Summary
The Chhattisgarh Police detained 6 people, including women, for conducting a gathering to forcefully convert people to Christianity. The accused persons had organized a religious gathering under the pretext of curing the diseases of the attendees in the Kurdeg village of Jashpur, Chhattisgarh. The villagers caught the organizers red-handed while they were attempting to convert the attendees to Christianity. The locals then informed the Police who immediately detained 6 persons for deceptively converting people to Christianity.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
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. In this case, the Christian evangelists were attempting to exploit a specific vulnerability of the victims who were in all likelihood also economically backward. The missionaries exploited the poor victims by promising them cures for their ailments - a cure that they either could not afford or for incurable diseases. 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.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
