150 tribals lured and converted to Christianity under the guise of curing diseases and by denigrating Hinduism
Sirohi, Rajasthan, India 
6 March, 2025
Case Summary
In Rajasthan's Sirohi, nearly 150 members of the tribal community were lured and converted to Christianity. Members of Christian missionary groups organised a conversion event at night, using loudspeakers. The event was attended by around 150 people from the tribal community, where they were reportedly lured and converted to Christianity. The Christian missionary members were accused of spreading misinformation about Hinduism and converting innocent tribal people. Even Bibles were recovered from the site. According to media reports, workers from Karoti informed Ranchhod Purohit, the state executive member of the Vishva Hindu Parishad Gau Raksha Samiti, that tribal people were being lured and converted at the agricultural well of Anwar Nagauri. ASI Ramesh Dan Charan stated that when activists like Ranchhod Purohit and Hitesh Mali arrived at the agricultural well in Karoti, sermons were being delivered to 120 tribal people. The person giving the sermon reportedly said, "We can cure the diseases of these tribal people; we are not afraid of anyone." The police were informed, and they arrived at the spot, arresting four Christians for luring and converting the tribal people to Christianity.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The 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 through 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. The second sub-category relevant here is- Attempting to convert/converting by denigrating Hinduism. In several cases, Hindus are converted or an attempt is made to convert Hindus by denigrating their faith, Hinduism. In such cases, the Hindus associate with the non-Hindu perpetrators often by choice and then, the attempt to convert them by insulting their faith, showing the faith down etc begins. An example of this would be a non-Hindu gathering where the Hindus are attending the gathering of their own free will. However, once they attend the gathering, there is an explicit attempt to convert them by abusing their faith and hailing the faith of the perpetrator. The denigration of the Hindu faith is often based on misrepresentation of the Hindu faith, its doctrine and scriptures and insult to espoused traditions if not blatant lies about Hindu beliefs and ways. Such conversions or attempts at conversions are driven by animosity towards the Hindu faith and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. Here, some Christian evangelists attempted to convert Hindus through false promises of curing 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, or livestock in exchange for conversion. It creates a form 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. Further, the accused also resorted to spreading misinformation about Hinduism to provoke and alienate members of the Hindu community from their faith. This tactic is usually employed not only to assert the perceived superiority of their own religious beliefs over Hinduism but also to instil doubt in the minds of Hindus, making them more susceptible to conversion. 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.
Victim Details
Total Victim
150
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 150
Caste
- SC/ST 150
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 0
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 150
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
