Villagers lured with financial aids and cures for illnesses for converting to Christianity

Case ID : 90a0652 | Location : Ramanuj Ganj, Chhattisgarh, India | Date of Incident : Sat, 25 January, 2025
Case ID : 90a0652
location Ramanuj Ganj, Chhattisgarh, India
date 25 January, 2025
Villagers lured with financial aids and cures for illnesses for converting to Christianity
Predatory Proselytisation
Conversion/ attempts to convert by inducement

Case Summary

A case of religious conversion surfaced in Saruat village, Basantpur police station area, Balrampur district, Chhattisgarh. Authorities detained Pastor Ajay Kumar and three others for their involvement in organising a "healing meeting" that aimed to persuade villagers to convert to Christianity. The police seized Bibles, religious pamphlets, and other propaganda materials during the operation. The incident occurred in the Gram Panchayat of Saruat in Wadrafnagar block. Villagers were lured with promises of improved health, financial aid, and a better life. The accused exploited the religious sentiments of attendees to encourage conversions. Police investigations revealed that the pastor and his associates used these meetings as a platform to offer false assurances to vulnerable individuals, leading to conversions. During the investigation, an ID card from the Rashtriya Masih Sangh was recovered from Pastor Ajay Kumar, linking him to a larger organisation. Authorities suspect the organisation may have played an active role in orchestrating the conversions. The arrested individuals were questioned, and all seized materials were secured for further investigation.

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. Here, some Christian evangelists attempted to convert Hindus through inducements, such as offering money and cures for illnesses. The use of inducements to convert individuals is indeed a common tactic in efforts to influence or manipulate vulnerable individuals into changing their faith. This approach often targets economically disadvantaged groups, offering material benefits such as food, money, education and livestock in exchange for conversion. It creates a sort of dependency that can alienate individuals from their original faith, as they may feel compelled to convert not out of genuine belief but due to immediate needs or financial pressures. Here too, the Christian evangelists adopted a similar tactic of exploiting the vulnerability of the Hindus to convert them to Christianity. 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.

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Case Status


Arrested

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Perpetrators Details

Perpetrators


Christian Extremists

Perpetrators Range


From 2 To 5

Perpetrators Gender


male

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