Christian youth attempts conversion in Dalit settlement by promising better living standards, financial aid and cures for diseases, chased away by villagers

Case ID : 90a05b6 | Location : Nawada, Bihar, India | Date of Incident : Sun, 19 January, 2025
Case ID : 90a05b6
location Nawada, Bihar, India
date 19 January, 2025
Christian youth attempts conversion in Dalit settlement by promising better living standards, financial aid and cures for diseases, chased away by villagers
Predatory Proselytisation
Conversion/ attempts to convert by inducement

Case Summary

In Nawada’s Roh block, a young man visiting Basant Nagar Mahadalit Tola to convert locals to Christianity was chased away by villagers. The man, reportedly linked to a Christian missionary, visited the settlement every Sunday, promising better living standards, financial aid, and cures for diseases to encourage the poor Mahadalit community to pray to Jesus Christ. Some villagers began participating in the prayers, but others raised concerns. Upon learning of the activities, local residents confronted the youth and expelled him from the area. Police, responding to the incident, warned him against engaging in unlawful activities. Villagers reported that agents of a particular religion had been targeting impoverished communities in the Roh block for months. These agents used inducements, including material benefits and promises of prosperity, to convert scheduled caste families. Initially, one family adopted Christianity, which reportedly led to a ripple effect with several others following. These agents, often provided with motorcycles, travelled to remote Mahadalit settlements to continue their efforts. While some villagers resisted these attempts, tensions remained high as conversions persisted. Many locals adhering to Sanatan Dharma expressed anger over the situation, describing it as an ongoing challenge in their community.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Predatory proselytisation. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Conversion/attempts to convert by inducements. 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 extremists were offering money and miracle cures to vulnerable Hindus in an attempt to disenfranchise them from their professed faith and convert them to Christianity. Luring Hindus to convert to a different faith by offering money and inducements such as miracle cures for ailments is predatory in nature since the extremists manipulate the specific vulnerabilities of disadvantaged and poor Hindus to manipulate them into conversion. This stems from inherent hostility towards the victim's professed faith since Abrahamic faiths believe that any non-adherent to the faith is a subject to be dehumanised till they convert. Since such predatory actions stem from doctrinal animosity towards the Hindu faith and its adherents, this case is being documented as a religiously motivated hate crime.

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Case Status


Unknown

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Perpetrators Details

Perpetrators


Christian Extremists

Perpetrators Range


One Person

Perpetrators Gender


male

Case Details SVG
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