Church built in name of prayer hall for tribals, Hindu outfits protest alleging efforts to convert women under the pretext of prayer meetings being made
Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, India 
5 November, 2024
Case Summary
On November 5th, a church inauguration event in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, intended to serve as a prayer house for the tribal community, was cancelled due to protests by Hindu organizations. According to media reports, people gathered in the tribal-dominated village of Banglabhata in Ratanpur, Bilaspur at around 11:30 am under the guise of the inauguration of a prayer house. Women and children were also among them. Congress leader and MLA Atal Srivastava was present there as the chief guest along with Sushma Kumar of Bishop Diocese of Chhattisgarh and other public representatives. Hindu organizations also arrived at the location after learning about the event and recited Hanuman Chalisa in protest. The protests were sparked by allegations of religious conversions occurring under the guise of prayer meetings in the tribal-dominated village of Banglabhata. Hindu groups, led by BJP leader Prabal Pratap Singh Judev, accused Congress MLA Atal Srivastava of encouraging conversions. The controversy intensified with reports of conversions in the Raigarh area, where religious meetings were allegedly being used to convert women to Christianity. Hindu activists asserted that the conversions were being conducted by Santosh Chauhan in Mitthumuda under the pretext of prayer meetings. The situation led to police involvement and calls for strict legal action against the individuals responsible for conversions.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This particular case has been classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under the core category of Predatory Proselytisation because of the various distinct components that demonstrate the perpetrator's bias against the Hindu faith and the deliberate attempt to alienate the victims from their Hindu identity. Based on the details two sub-categories have been chosen under the abovementioned category. The first sub-category is: Proselytisation by brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. Within this, the tertiary category selected is- Pattern of targeting Hindu women/minors. 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 sub-category relevant here 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. The organized prayer meetings and conversion activities in Bilaspur and Raigarh appear to involve subtle manipulation and indoctrination, specifically targeting vulnerable members of the Hindu community, particularly women. Reports indicate that during these gatherings, Hindu deities were belittled, and attendees were urged to seek salvation through Jesus, an act that reflects intentional religious discrimination aimed at undermining the value of another faith. By holding these events under the pretext of community prayer and focusing primarily on women, the organizers exploited their vulnerabilities to impose a different religious identity. Moreover, the continued targeting of Hindu women through such proselytising efforts points to a clear intent to change their beliefs under coercive conditions, categorising this as a religiously motivated hate crime rooted in manipulative proselytisation.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
