Hindus targeted for Christian conversion: Lured with inducements and false cures from diseases, Hindu deities denigrated
Durg, Chhattisgarh, India 
30 August, 2025
Case Summary
In the Borsi area of Durg district in Chhattisgarh, Hindus were targeted for conversion to Christianity. They were lured with inducements to adopt Christianity, and Hindu gods were denigrated to further the conversion agenda. According to media reports, this incident came to light when Hindu organisations objected to a Christian prayer meeting being held in a house in New Mannam Nagar, which led to a ruckus at the spot. On receiving the information, Tehsildar Praful Gupta and SP Sukhnandan Rathore arrived with the police force. After the investigation, the police arrested two pastors, Manohar Tandi and Akash Basera, for hurting Hindu religious sentiments. Police station in-charge Rajendra Lahare stated that, on the complaint of Pradeep Sinha, the city coordinator of the Hindu Jagran Manch, a case had been registered at Padmanabhpur police station under Section 299 of the BNS. Hindu organisations stated that conversion activities had been taking place in the area for a long time. They explained that Hindus were enticed with food and promises of cures for their illnesses, and were made to attend prayer meetings where objectionable remarks were made against Hindu gods and goddesses. Following this, the United Christian Council rejected the accusations. District President M. Jonathan John claimed that only a normal prayer meeting had been held, not a conversion drive. He further claimed that some people deliberately tried to make the issue controversial. Subsequently, both Christian perpetrators were produced before a court, and further legal action would be taken as per the court's orders.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. The subcategory 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 other subcategory 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. In this case, Hindus are being lured with inducements to convert to Christianity. The Christian perpetrators openly denigrate Hindu gods and goddesses to push forward their agenda of conversion. The targeted nature of these efforts and the wider impact on the Hindu community show clearly that this is not an act of faith but an act against Hindus as a collective. When individuals or groups single out Hindus for conversion, they show a fundamental disregard for the Hindu faith and its followers. Conversion in this manner is not about sincere belief; it is an attack on the values, traditions, and identity of the Hindu community. By specifically targeting Hindus, the perpetrators demonstrate hostility and contempt for Hinduism itself. These actions are designed to strip Hindus of their faith, making this a religiously motivated crime. To achieve religious conversion, inducements such as food and fake promises of curing diseases were offered as tools to coerce Hindu individuals into adopting Christianity. These material benefits served as bait, making the vulnerable Hindus more likely to accept Christianity, thus revealing the manipulative nature of the process. The use of such inducements reflected a deeper religious animosity, as conversion was pursued not through free will but through calculated pressure and coercion, making it an instance of a religiously motivated crime. The denigration of Hindu gods and goddesses lies at the centre of this effort. Sacred deities, who hold profound meaning in the Hindu faith, were deliberately mocked and belittled. This is not an accident; rather, it is a strategy to weaken the Hindu faith, to humiliate beliefs, and to create a rupture between Hindus and their own identity. Belittling the divine deities is not only deeply offensive but also instrumental in reinforcing the conversion campaign, ensuring that Hindus feel disconnected from their traditions. In doing so, the perpetrators reveal the full extent of their hostility towards Hinduism. Therefore, the conversions are not acts of compassion or spiritual conviction; they are fuelled by animosity towards Hinduism itself and carried out with the intent to erase a community’s faith. Reports also stated that the accused had been involved in illegal conversion activities for a long time. This persistent pattern of targeting Hindus, luring them with incentives and denigrating Hindu deities served as a stark example of a religiously motivated crime. Such actions are aimed at undermining the religious and cultural identity of Hindus through coercion, manipulation, and unlawful means. Such incidents highlighted that the conversions were neither isolated nor accidental but formed part of a calculated and targeted strategy to convert Hindus to Christianity. By focusing specifically on Hindus, these Christian evangelists were profiling vulnerable individuals and working systematically to erase their Hindu identity. The repeated nature of these actions revealed a deliberate intent to disrupt the cultural fabric and faith of the Hindu community, leaving the victims exposed to ongoing pressure and exploitation. These instances of targeted proselytisation activities stem from inherent hostility towards the victims' 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 multiple parameters of a religiously motivated attack against Hindus and their faith, it is being added to the hate crime database.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
