Impoverished men, women and children forced to convert to Christianity by monetary inducements and promises to cure illness
Bikaner, Rajasthan, India 
15 February, 2025
Case Summary
In Bikaner, Rajasthan, police detained several Christian missionaries, including women, from Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Goa, on allegations of forced religious conversions. The incident occurred in the Bangla Nagar area, where a rented house was reportedly used to conduct prayer meetings under the guise of conversion activities. The attendees included men, women and children, hailing from areas such as Antyodaya Nagar, Bangalanagar, Indira Colony, Muktaprasad Colony, and Udasar. They were being lured into religious conversion by monetary inducements and cures for severe illnesses. Members of Hindu organisations, upon learning of these gatherings, alerted the authorities. Police intervened, seizing incriminating documents and materials. It was said that attendees, mostly from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, were enticed with sums ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000. While others were lured by an assurance of cures for serious and incurable diseases.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of Predatory proselytisation. Under this, the first sub-category selected is- Conversion/ attempts to convert by inducement. 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 individuals in an attempt to disenfranchise them from their professed faith and convert them to Christianity. Luring people 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 the disadvantaged and the poor 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 victim's faith, this case is being documented as a religiously motivated hate crime.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
