Tribal Hindus targeted and brainwashed into converting to Christianity through use of Christian religious books

Case ID : 995829f | Location : Katihar, Bihar, India | Date of Incident : Sat, 9 August, 2025

Case ID : 995829f

Katihar, Bihar, India

9 August, 2025

Tribal Hindus targeted and brainwashed into converting to Christianity through use of Christian religious books

Predatory Proselytisation

Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination

Pattern of targeting Hindus

Case Summary

In Katihar, Bihar, a group of 200-250 tribal Hindus were brainwashed and manipulated into converting to Christianity by members of Christian missionary groups. The accused also used Christian religious books to entice Hindus towards conversion. According to media reports, the incident took place in the tribal colony of TV Tower Mohalla, within the Katihar Assistant Police Station area. The accused included four Christian men and two women. They organised a Christian prayer meeting, during which they targeted vulnerable tribal Hindus and brainwashed them to adopt Christianity. The accused also used Christian religious texts to manipulate the Hindu participants. When Bajrang Dal, a Hindu organisation, members received information about the incident, they arrived at the scene and notified the police. Police responded swiftly, arresting the six Christian perpetrators. Officers from the Assistant Police Station attended with additional personnel and began investigating the matter. They also took some people to the police station for interrogation. The Christian perpetrators denied the allegations of conversion, claiming that the gathering was merely a religious prayer meeting related to their faith in Jesus, and that no conversions had taken place. They also claimed that they were already practising Christians and were simply holding group prayers. Superintendent of Police Shikhar Chaudhary confirmed that some individuals stated that illegal conversions were taking place in TV Centre Mohalla. The police were currently investigating the matter, and individuals were brought to the station for questioning. A scuffle occurred at the scene, resulting in two people sustaining minor injuries who were receiving medical treatment. Former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar and current BJP MLA from Katihar, Tarkishore Prasad, stated, “Conversion is happening in Seemanchal, and there is a need to remain alert and vigilant. This is a major conspiracy to divide India. No good work is achieved through conversion. The people here and public representatives like us will not tolerate it.” Bajrang Dal District Coordinator Pawan Poddar stated that he had received reports for many days about ongoing conversions in the area. Upon visiting the site, he and his team discovered that around 200 to 250 tribal Hindus were being targeted for conversion.

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. In this case, the tribal Hindus were brainwashed and manipulated to convert to Christianity by members of Christian missionary groups. Even Christian religious literature was used to brainwash the Hindu victims into conversion. The nature of the conversion efforts, the use of inducements to exploit Hindus, and the wider impact on the Hindu community all indicate a targeted action against Hindus as a collectivity. When individuals or groups focus their efforts on converting members of a particular religion, in this case, Hindus, then it demonstrates a fundamental disregard for the Hindu faith. Conversion, especially when not based on personal conviction but rather on external persuasion or pressure, is not simply about sharing a different belief system. It is an attempt to undermine the values, traditions, and identity of the Hindu community. In this context, the Christian missionary members specifically targeted Hindus, which suggests a lack of respect for Hinduism and its followers. Such actions are carried out to strip Hindu victims of their faith, making it a religiously motivated crime. The Christian perpetrators were actively attempting to indoctrinate the Hindu victims by using Christian religious texts. Using the scriptures of one faith to deliberately target and manipulate members of another, with the clear intention of religious conversion, represents a direct attack on the Hindu faith. Such actions are designed to exploit and undermine the beliefs of Hindu victims and are clear indicators of religious hostility towards Hindus and their religious identity. The seizure of Christian texts, specifically intended to persuade Hindu victims to convert, further demonstrates that this was not an isolated incident of evangelism, but rather part of a broader, organised operation to further religious conversions. When religious material is used to exploit trust, sow doubt, and misrepresent beliefs to coerce conversion, particularly in a systematic manner, it constitutes a religiously motivated offence. Reports also stated that such Christian gatherings had been happening for many days. It also stated that a group of 200-250 Hindus were targeted for conversion. Such repeated actions of religious conversions on a huge group of Hindus, especially when they involve brainwashing, are a clear example of a religiously motivated crime because they are directed at undermining the religious and cultural identity of Hindus through manipulation and unlawful means. It also highlights that the conversions weren’t isolated or accidental but part of a long-term, targeted pattern. By focusing specifically on Hindus, these Christian evangelists were religiously profiling vulnerable Hindu individuals and working systematically to erase their Hindu identity. These instances of targeted proselytisation activities stem from inherent hostility towards the victim's professed faith since Abrahamic faiths believe that any non-adherent to their faith is subject to being dehumanised till they convert, making it a religiously motivated crime against Hindus. Since this case meets many parameters of a religiously motivated attack against Hindus and their faith; therefore, it is being added to the hate crime database.