Hindus lured into converting to Christianity by offering food
Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, India 
8 March, 2025
Case Summary
In Ramtala village, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, almost 500 Hindus were lured into converting to Christianity during a Christian prayer meeting by offering food and displaying videos promoting Christianity. According to a report by Amar Ujala, a Christian prayer gathering was held at the ANM church in Ramtala village, where Hindus were enticed to convert to Christianity by being offered food. Hindu activists, along with members of Hindu organisations, arrived at the scene and attempted to stop the event. They alleged that people were being converted through videos promoting Christianity, which were shown on a screen during the programme. The police were alerted and promptly arrived at the location to calm the Hindu activists. As tensions escalated, the police immediately ordered the removal of tents and canopies from the venue. Following this, members of the Hindu organisations raised slogans condemning the attempt to convert Hindus. Ram Singh, a representative of a Hindu organisation, said that the church was secretly carrying out conversions. He stated that food had been arranged for more than 500 people and that the process of conversion was being facilitated through video presentations promoting Christianity. Koni police station in charge, Naveen Devangan, confirmed that a Christian gathering was taking place in Ramtala village. Upon receiving information, the police intervened and requested the organisers to present official permission documents for the event. However, they were unable to provide any such documentation, prompting the police to take appropriate action against them.
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 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 selected here is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. 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. The incident in Ramtala village, Bilaspur, highlights a systematic attempt at conversion through inducements, deceptive practices, and psychological influence. Offering food as bait to lure unsuspecting individuals into conversion is a form of coercion, exploiting people's needs to push a religious agenda. Additionally, the screening of promotional Christian videos at a prayer gathering, without transparency or consent from attendees, constitutes an act of subtle indoctrination. Such actions stem from inherent hostility towards the victim's professed faith since Abrahamic faiths believe that any non-adherent to the faith is subject to being 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.
Victim Details
Total Victim
500
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 500
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 500
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 500
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
