Poor villagers lured to convert to Christianity with promise of money and free hospital treatments

Case ID : 90a0681 | Location : Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Sat, 25 January, 2025
Case ID : 90a0681
location Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
date 25 January, 2025
Poor villagers lured to convert to Christianity with promise of money and free hospital treatments
Predatory Proselytisation
Conversion/ attempts to convert by inducement

Case Summary

A case of religious conversion was reported in Bharatpura village, Chhatarpur district. The police registered a case against three individuals: Yashwant Singh Dhurve from Chhatarpur, Mihilal Ahirwar from Gulganj, and Nannu Ahirwar from Medinipura, Bijawar. It was found that the perpetrators planned large-scale conversions, taking advantage of the administration’s focus on Republic Day events. Villagers were reportedly lured with promises of money, free hospital treatments, improved living standards, and solutions to their problems if they agreed to convert to another religion. Authorities suspect that other individuals may also be involved in this case. There is a possibility that the accused and their associates are linked to similar incidents across the state. Bijawar police are conducting a thorough investigation to uncover the full extent of the activities and identify additional suspects.

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 particular 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 offering them money and promising them cures for their ailments - cures 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.

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Case Status


Complaint registered

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Perpetrators Details

Perpetrators


Christian Extremists

Perpetrators Range


From 2 To 5

Perpetrators Gender


male

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