Police bust conversion attempt, Christians offer 70 Hindu women and children, financial help and cures for illness
Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, India 
23 October, 2024
Case Summary
On October 24, 2024, a case involving attempts at religious conversion emerged in Bardar village within the Gurbuxganj police station area of Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh. Reports indicated that a large-scale prayer meeting was being used as a front to persuade locals to convert to Christianity by offering promises of miraculous cures and financial assistance. Upon receiving the information, police, led by Station Head Brajesh Kumar Singh, arrived at the residence of Awadhesh (son of Bachchunu) where the gathering was taking place. Inside, they discovered around 60-70 women and children who had been encouraged to attend under claims that Christianity could bring about miraculous healings and solutions to incurable diseases. In the process, police detained several people, including Rajesh Kumar (alias David) from the Sagauli police station area of Unnao district, who was reportedly leading the prayers and promoting the religious conversion agenda. The police confiscated various Christian religious pamphlets, books, and other propaganda materials from the scene. Additional Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Sinha stated that the meeting appeared to be a concerted attempt to convince vulnerable individuals to convert by claiming miraculous powers associated with the new faith. Following this discovery, legal action was initiated. A case was filed against Rajesh Kumar under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance-2024.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is being added to the primary category 'Predatory Proselytisation' under the sub-category '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. In this case, the Christian perpetrators were offering miraculous treatment for ailments and money in an attempt to convert 70 women and children to Christianity. Inducement to convert is unlawful because the perpetrators manipulate the vulnerabilities of the poor and unwell Hindu victims. Further, the conversion of minors is illegal ab initio since the minors have no agency to consent to and understand the ramifications of abandoning their faith and converting to another. This sort of manipulation and inducement of Hindu victims stems from the religious animosity harboured by the Christian perpetrators. For that reason, this case is being added to the hate crime database.
Victim Details
Total Victim
70
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 35
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 35
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 70
Age Group
- Minor 35
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 35
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
