Hindu religion targeted as Christian evangelist incited violence and denied its legitimacy in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu, India 
21 July, 2018
Case Summary
Hindus and the Hindu religion were targeted by violent rhetoric and a sustained misinformation campaign by Bishop Ezra Sargunam, a controversial Christian evangelist from Tamil Nadu. In a viral video, the bishop was seen inciting his followers to physically assault anyone who says that "Hinduism is a religion". In the video, Sargunam declared that Hinduism is an “artificial religion” which was created during British rule. He said that during the time of British rule, the census takers were confused as to who they could classify as a Hindu. A committee defined the identity ‘Hindu’ as someone who wasn’t a Muslim, Christian, Sikh, or Buddhist. He then urged his audience to take up the challenge and spread the word that there is no such thing as the Hindu religion. If anyone opposed this idea, he told his audience to punch them in the face without hesitation until they bled, assuring them that they could simply ask God for forgiveness later. Furthermore, in an earlier interview with Jebam TV, Sargunam talked about his experience at the 1961–62 Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, where he, along with his Christian missionary group, attempted to distribute Christian literature to Hindu pilgrims in the Kumbh Mela. The group was manhandled and chased away. He later described this incident as something that strengthened his resolve to continue the missionary work. In 2000, while serving as Chairman of the Tamil Nadu Minority Commission, Sargunam had travelled to Gujarat following reports of a church attack. At that time, Gujarat’s Home Minister, Haren Pandya, stated that Sargunam was instigating local Christians and interfering in the state's affairs. The Tamil Nadu government was informed that Sargunam had created a law-and-order issue in the region and that the Tamil Nadu Minority Commission had no jurisdiction in Gujarat.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of - Hate speech against Hindus. Within it, the sub-category selected is - Anti-Hindu slurs, mocking faith. Anti-Hindu slurs and the deliberate mocking of the Hindu faith owing to religious animosity involve the usage of derogatory terms, stereotypes, or offensive references to religious practices, symbols, or figures. One of the common anti-Hindu slurs used against Hindus is “cow-worshipper” and “cow piss drinker”. The intention of using this term is to demean and mock Hindus as a group and their religious beliefs since Hindus consider the cow holy. Additionally, some symbols and the slurs attached to them have a historical context that exacerbates the insult, hate, stereotyping, dehumanisation and oppression against Hindus. Cow worship has been used for centuries to denigrate Hindus, insult their faith and oppress Hindus specifically as a religious group. There has been overwhelming documentation about how cow slaughter has been used to persecute Hindus with cow meat being thrown in temples and places of worship. There has also been overwhelming documentation where cow meat (beef) has been force-fed to Hindus to either forcefully convert them to Islam or denigrate their faith. Apart from cow worship, the Swastika – which holds deep religious significance for the Hindus – has also been misinterpreted and distorted to use as a slur against Hindus. Similarly, the worship of the Shivling has been used by supremacist ideologies and religions to denigrate Hindus owing to religious animosity. Such slurs and denigration stem out of inherent animosity and hate towards Hindus and their faith, therefore, it is categorised as hate speech targeted at Hindus specifically owing to their religious identity. The second sub-category selected is - Subversion of scriptures. Subverting the religious scriptures of Hindus has particularly devastating consequences. Subversion of the scriptures of Hindus is often done to justify or promote hatred, discrimination, or violence against specific individuals or groups of Hindus. Religious scriptures are often nuanced and those who harbour religious animosity towards Hindus often misquote or misrepresent the scripture to legitimise their animosity and hate towards the faith and its adherents. Any such misquoting of scriptures or subversion to justify hate, violence and discrimination against Hindus owing to religious animosity is hate speech and is categorised as such. The second sub-category selected is - Predatory Proselytisation. Within it, the sub-category selected 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. The other sub-category relevant here is - Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. Within it, the tertiary category 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. This case has been added to the tracker because Hindus and the Hindu religion were targeted by violent rhetoric and a sustained misinformation campaign by the Christian bishop Ezra Sargunam. He deliberately spread misinformation by asserting that Hinduism is an “artificial religion,” effectively denying thousands of years of religious, philosophical, and cultural history, including temples, scriptures, and lived traditions of millions of people. By asserting that Hinduism is a construct rather than a religion, Sargunam was engaging in the subversion of Hindu religious identity and scriptures. He then went a step further by asking his audience to punch anyone who opposed this idea, telling them they could simply ask God for forgiveness later. This kind of violent rhetoric targeting Hindus directly stemmed from his deep-rooted religious hatred against the Hindu religion. He wanted Hindus to be physically attacked simply because of their religious identity. It was an attempt to dehumanise them and foster religious superiority. In addition to this, his statements and actions reflect a subtler form of predatory proselytisation. By calling Hinduism an artificial religion, he was trying to make Hindus feel inferior about their religion - a subtle but dangerous form of predatory proselytisation. This was a manipulative tactic used to destabilise a person's confidence in their own faith. He essentially implied that Hindus had no identity before the British era. He wanted Hindus to feel inferior about their own faith, making them more susceptible to religious conversion. The strategy often involves undermining the core tenets and symbols of a faith (Hinduism) to create disaffection, which is then followed by the offering of an alternative belief system (Christianity) presented as morally or spiritually superior. Furthermore, he spoke about his proselytisation efforts during the Kumbh Mela, which again reflects his hostility towards Hinduism and his predatory mindset. He went to the Kumbh Mela - the largest spiritual gathering of Hindus in the world - with the sole purpose of converting Hindus and distributing Christian literature among devout pilgrims. It is important to understand that he did all of this during a sacred event that holds deep spiritual and emotional significance for Hindus. By carrying out such activity in a space meant for religious purity, meditation, and devotion, he was not just violating the sanctity of the event but also directly attacking the religious sentiments of Hindus. This case reveals a pattern of systematic targeting of Hindus through sustained propaganda and manipulation aimed at undermining their religious identity. The repeated efforts by Bishop Ezra Sargunam to delegitimize Hinduism and incite hostility against its followers demonstrate a broader strategy of religious malice. His public calls to reject Hindu faith, combined with attempts to influence Hindu pilgrims and communities, reflect an ongoing pattern of subtle indoctrination and coercion intended to weaken Hindu adherence and promote conversion, fitting the profile of predatory proselytisation as a religiously motivated hate crime. The Christian faith, by its very theological foundations, places a strong emphasis on proselytisation. In pursuit of conversion objectives, Christian evangelists often employ unethical means, ranging from denigration of Hinduism and misinformation to inducements such as money or jobs. Bishop Ezra Sargunam’s actions and speech reflect his animosity towards the Hindu religion; therefore, this case has been added to the tracker. Disclaimer: None of the media sources covering this case specifies the exact date or month when the anti-Hindu remarks were made. The earliest known statements date back to 2018. Since Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents based on when the victim’s ordeal began rather than when it was reported, we have used 22nd July 2018 as the indicative date for this incident.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
