Hindus targeted for conversion through brainwashing and false healing promises by Christian missionaries
Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, India 
12 July, 2025
Case Summary
In Bharni village, Bilaspur district, Chhattisgarh, Hindus were targeted for conversion to Christianity through deceptive means disguised as prayer meetings and initiatives for de-addiction, curing illness, and spiritual awareness. Victims were subjected to sustained psychological manipulation and brainwashing to induce them to abandon their faith. Members of a Christian missionary group were actively promoting conversion by offering promises of freedom from addiction and miraculous cures for illness upon embracing Christianity. These efforts were carried out under the pretext of spirituality, creating a front that masked the underlying intent of religious conversion. Upon receiving information about these activities, Hindu organisations promptly arrived at the location. They reported that the programme was being used to convert Hindus under the guise of de-addiction and spiritual sessions. They further pointed out that those present were being systematically brainwashed to reject their Hindu identity and adopt the Christian faith. Police personnel from the Sakri police station quickly reached the site and brought the situation under control. Several individuals were taken into custody for questioning, and an investigation was launched to determine the nature and legality of the conversion activities. Authorities confirmed that if any illegal conversion activity were found, strict legal action would be taken. In the aftermath of the incident, tensions escalated in the village, prompting the deployment of additional police forces in Bharni and nearby areas to maintain order and prevent any escalation. Police officials appealed to residents to remain calm, avoid spreading rumours, and report any suspicious activity. Bharni is not an isolated case. Several incidents of illegal Christian conversions have occurred in Bilaspur in recent years, often involving similar tactics such as coercion, luring, and psychological manipulation targeting Hindu villagers. The Hinduphobia Tracker has documented multiple such cases from the Bilaspur region, highlighting a recurring pattern of predatory proselytisation aimed at weakening the Hindu social fabric through deceitful and aggressive conversion strategies. References to some of these previously documented cases have been provided to underscore the pattern and continuity of such activities in the region.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. Within this, the subcategory selected is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. The tertiary 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. The other 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 Bharni village, Bilaspur, Christian missionary groups systematically attempted to convert Hindus by exploiting their vulnerabilities, promising freedom from addiction, healing from illness, and spiritual peace if they embraced Christianity. These efforts were carried out not through open force, but through grooming and subtle religious brainwashing, which is a hallmark of predatory proselytisation. The manipulation was emotional and psychological, gradually inducing disaffection toward the victims’ own dharma while presenting Christianity as a superior alternative. What makes this not just unethical but a hate crime is that the targeting was not random. It was directed specifically at Hindus, and is part of a larger, sustained pattern in Bilaspur, where many similar cases have been documented by the Hinduphobia Tracker. These cases demonstrate a coordinated agenda to religiously disenfranchise Hindus under the guise of social service and spirituality. The repeated targeting of Hindu communities with the intent to erode their religious identity through manipulation and grooming constitutes religiously motivated hate crime. In this case, missionaries lured Hindu villagers with promises of relief from personal suffering—such as addiction and illness—only if they accepted Christianity. These are clear inducements, not mere religious appeals. Such exploitation of distress and poverty—often affecting marginalised Hindu communities—is a classic strategy of coercive conversion. These inducements directly aim to undermine Hindu belief systems and coerce individuals to abandon their inherited religion in exchange for promised material or emotional gains. The crime lies not just in the act of converting, but in the predatory exploitation of the victim’s vulnerability, which is rooted in a discriminatory view that sees Hindu faith as dispensable or inferior. The religious identity of the victim—Hindu—was central to this targeting, making it a hate crime driven by religious bias. Hence, this case is included in the hate crime database.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
