Tribal Hindu families lured with inducements and deceptively converted to Christianity in Chhattisgarh
Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, India 
29 August, 2025
Case Summary
In Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, two tribal Hindu families were forcibly converted to Christianity. It was done by luring them with financial inducements by members of the Christian missionary groups. According to reports, eight members of two tribal families, including two women, came into contact with Christian missionaries. Missionaries lured and misled them with promises of good education, a better lifestyle, and financial benefits and converted them to Christianity. At the time of their conversion, they were made to wear a cross and associated with Christianity. They were made to abandon their traditional Hindu faith. However, the families began to realise that they had been deceptively converted to Christianity. They expressed that they were Hindus by birth and wished to return to their original faith. With the support of a Hindu organisation, the two tribal families, identified as Kamal Kumar, Vimal Kumar, Sangeeta Kumar, Kalavati Kumar, Aahan Kumar, Ghasiram Kumar, Sunil Kumar and Phool Kumar, publicly renounced Christianity and reaffirmed their commitment to Hinduism through traditional Hindu rituals (Gharwapsi). The Gharwapsi event was organised by members of Hindu organisations, who encouraged fellow Hindus, particularly those coerced into conversion, to revert to their original Hindu faith.
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- Conversion/attempts to convert by inducements. 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 other subcategory selected in this case 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. This case has been added to the tracker because the tribal Hindu families were converted to Christianity by Christian missionaries who lured them with inducements of jobs, education, and money. Offering incentives or making false promises, especially when directed at vulnerable individuals in need, shows that these were not acts of kindness or charity. Instead, they were calculated moves to exploit vulnerable Hindus because of their religion. By providing inducements in exchange for conversion, the accused were effectively blackmailing the Hindu victims who might have been desperate for assistance or hope. Such instances are seen in many cases where members of Christian missionary groups target socially and economically vulnerable Hindus to further their agenda of religious conversions. This form of coercion strips people of their agency and dignity and results in coerced conversions. These are not random or isolated incidents; rather, they are deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims and their faith, making it a religiously motivated crime. The Christian faith, by its theological foundations, places a strong emphasis on proselytisation. In pursuit of conversion objectives, Christian evangelists often employ unethical means, ranging from psychological pressure, false promises, and misinformation to inducements such as money or jobs. In such cases, Christian missionary groups target and brainwash socially and economically vulnerable Hindus to further their agenda of religious conversions. This form of coercion strips Hindus of their agency and dignity and enforces forced conversions. These are not random or isolated incidents, but premeditated efforts to undermine the Hindu faith, persuade Hindus to discard their own traditions, and convert to Christianity. Such acts are deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims and their religion. It is important to note that in this case, the Christian missionaries targeted two Hindu families, underlining that the coerced conversion was not limited to isolated individuals but affected entire families. This highlights that the conversions were neither random nor sporadic; rather, they demonstrate a pattern of premeditated and calculated efforts to undermine Hindu faith and impose Christianity. Consequently, this showcases the religiously motivated nature of the offence. Given that this case satisfies the criteria for a religiously motivated offence, it is being recorded in the hate crime database. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents based on when the victim’s ordeal began. However, in this case, the report does not specify when the tribal families were converted. Therefore, for documentation purposes, the date of the incident has been recorded as the date it was reported in the media- 30th August 2025.
Victim Details
Total Victim
8
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 6
- Female 2
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 8
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 0
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 8
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
