Hindu villagers, including children, brainwashed with inducements; Hindu workers attacked by Christian missionaries for objecting proselytisation attempts
Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, India 
13 September, 2025
Case Summary
In the Nawadih village of Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, a large-scale conversion operation was uncovered where around 150 to 200 Hindu villagers, including women and children, were targeted for Christian conversion under the guise of a prayer meeting. They were brainwashed with Christian texts and offered inducements to lure them towards conversion. According to reports, a Hindu man named Baran Verma received information that Hindus were being converted under the guise of a prayer meeting at Tiwari Plot in the village. Along with members of a Hindu organisation, he arrived at the spot and found that around 150 to 200 Hindu women, men and children had gathered there. There was a large number of Bibles prepared for distribution, and food was arranged for the attendees. It was revealed that the pastor was brainwashing Hindus to convert to Christianity by offering them money and other inducements. Hindu organisations stated that, in this process, many economically weak and helpless families were targeted. They were being forced to convert by luring them with jobs, money and other facilities. When Hindu activists demanded that the organisers and the pastor step out to explain the prayer meeting, the situation turned violent. The organisers and some participants began pelting stones at members of the Hindu organisation, after which the police were informed. When the police arrived to control the situation, the organisers also pelted stones at them, injuring some police personnel. The police somehow managed to control the situation and dispersed the crowd. As of the date of writing this report, the police had registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Religious Conversion Act. Seven people, identified as Vijay Sahis, Raju Sahu, Geetaram Sahu, Devendra Yadav, Gautam Sahu, Rahul Raj and Kamlesh Sonwani, were taken into custody. Police confirmed that a detailed investigation was ongoing to examine how the operation was organised, the methods of inducement used, and the wider network behind the attempt.
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 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- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. The tertiary categories selected are- Conversion of minor and 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 second primary category selected is - Attack not resulting in death. Within it, the sub-category selected here is - Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save victim. In several cases, Hindus are attacked for opposing religiously motivated crimes being committed against a fellow Hindu or simply for voicing an opinion opposing radical elements, who either have in the past or continue to persecute Hindus. In such cases, the initial attack against the victim, against which the Hindu was trying to defend the victim, would also need to be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime. Since the initial crime itself was religiously motivated and the subsequent crime of attempting to save the victim or speaking against the radical elements ends up inviting a violent attack, it would also be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. This case has been added to the tracker because Hindus, including women and children, were brainwashed and offered inducements by Christian missionaries in an effort to push them towards religious conversion. Offering incentives or making false promises, especially when directed at vulnerable individuals in need, shows that these incentives were not acts of kindness or charity. Instead, they were calculated moves to exploit vulnerable Hindus because of their religion. By providing inducements or money in exchange for conversion, the accused were effectively blackmailing those 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 were not random or isolated incidents, but rather cases deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims. Bibles were also found on the premises, which were about to be distributed to the attendees. Thus, the Christian perpetrators were also actively attempting to indoctrinate the Hindu victims by using Christian religious texts and literature. Using the scriptures or literature 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 were designed to violate and undermine the beliefs of Hindu victims and are clear indicators of religious hostility towards Hindus and their religious identity. These actions further demonstrate that this was not an isolated incident of evangelism, but rather part of a broader, organised operation to further religious conversions. When Christian religious material is used to exploit trust, sow doubt, and misrepresent the beliefs of Hindus to coerce conversion, particularly in a systematic manner, it constitutes a religiously motivated offence. The act of luring Hindus under the pretext of prayer meetings demonstrates that these gatherings were not genuine invitations to interfaith dialogue or religious prayers. Rather, they were calculated efforts to exploit the sense of community and trust within the Hindu community by disguising conversion attempts as prayer sessions. It also showed that the individuals involved were employing indirect methods to convince Hindus to abandon their faith, possibly by targeting vulnerable villagers and exploiting their emotional, social, or religious needs. As a result, vulnerable Hindus were manipulated into abandoning their faith. These malicious actions were rooted in religious animosity towards Hinduism and its community. Furthermore, it is important to note here that some of the victims present in the prayer meeting were minors, which means the element of consent and genuine change of conscience was missing ab initio. Minors, due to their young age and lack of maturity, are particularly vulnerable to manipulation and coercion. They may not have the ability to fully understand the implications of converting to another religion, and the Christian perpetrators purposely targeted and exploited this vulnerability of the victims. Since this case exemplifies the use of coercion and manipulation to achieve religious conversion, it was a blatant act of religious hate, which is why it has been documented here in the hate tracker. The nature of the conversion efforts and the wider impact on the Hindu community all indicate a targeted action against Hindus as a collectivity. When evangelists and Christian missionaries focus their efforts on converting individuals of a particular faith, in this instance, Hindus, it reveals a fundamental disregard for that community and its beliefs. Conversion, especially when not based on sincere personal conviction but rather on external persuasion or pressure, is not about sharing a different religion. Instead, it is an attempt to undermine the values, traditions, and identity of the Hindu community. In this context, the Christian perpetrators specifically targeted Hindus, which demonstrated a lack of respect for Hinduism and its followers. Such actions were carried out to strip Hindu victims of their faith, making it a religiously motivated crime. The Christian faith, by its very theological foundations, places a strong emphasis on proselytisation. In pursuit of conversion objectives, Christian evangelists often employed unethical means, ranging from psychological pressure and misinformation to inducements such as money or jobs. These tactics were designed not as acts of charity but as tools to engineer religious change under the guise of social upliftment, particularly among vulnerable and underprivileged communities. Additionally, when members of Hindu organisations arrived at the spot and confronted the organisers and the pastor about the prayer meeting, they were met with stone pelting and abuse. This was an act of calculated aggression clearly designed to silence resistance and assert ideological dominance. Here, too, the underlying animosity stemmed from a refusal to allow Hindus to safeguard their religious community from coerced conversion. The attack was not a spontaneous personal altercation but a defensive reaction by the perpetrators to protect their religiously motivated operation and deter future opposition.
Victim Details
Total Victim
200
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 200
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 200
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 200
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
