Hindu women lured to convert to Christianity through various incentives and manipulative tactics
Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh, India 
8 March, 2025
Case Summary
In Kanjar Basti, in the Maharajganj Kotwali area of Uttar Pradesh, a group of Hindu women were lured by members of Christian missionary groups to convert to Christianity by offering them various incentives. According to media reports, a few locals informed Bajrang Dal's district vice president, Ambrish Sharma, that some people in Kanjar Basti were attempting to convert Hindus to Christianity by offering them incentives. Upon receiving this information, Bajrang Dal members arrived at the scene with the Kotwali police. The police observed that many women were attending the conversion event and had been given Bibles to read. The police recovered half a dozen Bibles from the location. The police arrested all the accused, who were identified as Gaurav Kumar Gaur, Ramkewal, Amit, Sonu and one other person. They were arrested from a house in Nanhu. Among the five accused, two were minors, and one was an elderly person. The accused were charged under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita (BNS).
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the primary category of- Predatory Proselytisation under the 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. The second sub-category under which this case has been placed is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. Within this, the sub-category selected is- Pattern of targeting Hindus. Religious brainwashing essentially means the often subtle and forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up their religious beliefs to accept contrasting regimented ideas. Religious grooming or brainwashing also involves propaganda and manipulation. It involves the systematic effort, driven by religious malice and indoctrination, to persuade “non-believers’ to accept allegiance, command, or doctrine to and of a contrasting faith. Cases of such grooming or brainwashing are far more nuanced than direct threats, coercion, inducement and violence. In such cases, it is often seen that there is repeated, subtle and continual manipulation of the victim to induce disaffection towards their own faith and acceptance of the contrasting faith of the perpetrator. While subtle indoctrination is widely acknowledged as predatory, an element which is often understated in such conversions or the attempts of such conversion is the role of loyalty and trust which might develop between the perpetrator and the victim. Fiduciary relationships are often abused to affect such religious conversion. For example, an educator transmitting religious doctrine of a competing faith to a Hindu student. The Hindu student is likely to accept what the teacher is transmitting owing to existence of the fiduciary relationship. The exploitation of the fiduciary relationship to religiously indoctrinate victims would also be included in this category. Since the underlying animosity towards the victim’s faith forms the basis of predatory proselytization, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. Firstly, the Christian extremists were offering various inducements to vulnerable Hindu women 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 free education for their children, free food, and 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. Secondly, the distribution of Bibles as part of the conversion effort suggests a systematic approach aimed at gradually influencing and altering the religious beliefs of the targeted individuals. This subtle indoctrination tactic is part of a larger pattern where Christian missionary groups identify vulnerable Hindu individuals, especially women, and expose them to religious materials as a means to initiate conversion. Such methods are manipulative, as they are not based on the voluntary acceptance of a new faith but rather on a deliberate attempt to weaken their Hindu identity over time. 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.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
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