Poor Hindu villagers subjected to denigration of Hindu deities by Christians attempting conversion
Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India 
27 September, 2025
Case Summary
Hindu villagers were being coerced into conversion by denigration of their faith in Rajasthan's Bharatpur. A Shubham, a Hindu man, filed a complaint against a group of Christians regarding an incident of predatory proselytisation at Bharatpur’s Sewar Police Station on September 28, 2025. Shubham, son of Krishnakumar, a resident of STC Housing Board Colony, stated that 5-6 people, including Devendra Singh, David, Nitin and Latesh, were deceiving impoverished Hindu individuals near Vijay Hospital into converting to Christianity. The group also made offensive remarks against Hindu gods to pressure people into changing their religion. Following the complaint, a case was registered, and Assistant Sub-Inspector Vijay Kumar launched an investigation, arresting Bhagwan Sahay, a pastor and resident of Harijan Basti.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. The first 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. The second subcategory selected is: Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. 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 Christian perpetrators attempted to convert Hindus by systematically denigrating Hinduism, a faith that holds profound reverence within the Hindu community. Hinduism forms an integral part of Hindu identity—it is the faith the Hindu victims have grown up with and practice wholeheartedly throughout their lives. The Christian perpetrators in this case sought to convert people by deliberately insulting and degrading Hindu beliefs and practices. This approach represents a direct affront to the sentiments and dignity of the Hindu community. Abusing the Hindu deities to coerce people to convert to Christianity showcases deep-seated religious animosity. This strategy is employed to make Hindus feel ashamed and inferior about their faith, thereby manipulating them into conversion. Such tactics constitute a religiously motivated hate crime. Also, the perpetrators deliberately set up their operation behind a hospital with the intention to exploit the vulnerability of people with ailments seeking medical help. The Christian faith, by its very theological foundations, places a strong emphasis on proselytisation. In pursuit of conversion objectives, Christian evangelists often employ unethical means, ranging from psychological pressure and misinformation to inducements or denigration of Hinduism. Such acts are deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims, and thus, this case was added to the tracker. Disclaimer: Hinduphobia tracker considers the date of the incident as the date when the victim's ordeal started. Since the exact date when the Christians started to manipulate villagers is not mentioned, the date of filing of report is being considered as a reference. Disclaimer: The report provides a range for the number of perpetrators as 5-6 people. However, since the names of 5 people, including the pastor, are specifically mentioned, for documentation purposes, we have considered the count as 5.
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
