Hindus targeted for Christian conversion under the pretext of prayer meetings; perpetrators denigrate Hindu deities when challenged
Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh, India 
8 November, 2025
Case Summary
In an upscale neighbourhood of Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh, a case of religious conversion on the pretext of healing prayer meetings was reported. Members of the Hindu Jagran Manch, a Hindu activist group, gathered outside the residence of Lakshman Singh, a retired Indian Army soldier. The accused, Lakshman Singh and his wife were hosting a routine Sunday prayer session, referred to as a “healing meeting” or “changai sabha”, and convincing people to join Christianity. The activists vocally opposed the event, chanting “Jai Shri Ram” and claiming that such gatherings were designed to lure attendees into abandoning Hinduism. The group accused the organisers of conducting these sessions late into the night, often with amplified sound that disrupted the peace of residents. They further stated that anyone who challenged the conversion efforts was met with derogatory remarks targeting Hindu deities. Locals highlighted recurring Sunday-night disturbances over several weeks, with prayers extending well past midnight and temporarily halting only after confrontations. Tensions escalated when a verbal clash erupted between the Hindu activists and Singh’s wife. Kotwali police promptly arrived to manage the situation, but the gravity of the standoff prompted Naib Tehsildar Vivek Chandrakar to intervene personally alongside law enforcement. Manch representatives, including Chitresh Sahu and Pratik Soni, demanded that religious activities be confined to designated places of worship, such as churches, and insisted the home-based meetings were unauthorised and coercive. Pratik Soni specifically pointed to Singh as the source of blasphemous comments against Hindu gods. After prolonged negotiations, the Tehsildar accepted a formal complaint from the Hindu Manch representatives and pledged a thorough probe, promising appropriate measures based on findings. Only then did the protesters disperse, restoring calm to the area following hours of unrest.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category in this case is: Predatory Proselytisation. The first subcategory selected under this 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 second 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. This case reflects a recurring and deeply concerning pattern in which Hindu families are subtly targeted for religious conversion under the guise of prayer meetings. The context and sequence of events here bear striking resemblance to numerous past incidents where “conferences”, “healing sessions”, or “prayer meetings” were later exposed as covert proselytising exercises. These events often begin as innocuous community or social gatherings but gradually evolve into platforms for indoctrination, where faith-based manipulation and emotional grooming are employed to influence vulnerable individuals, particularly from lower-income or socially marginalised Hindu families. The choice of targeting Hindu families underlines the religious animosity inherent in such operations. Across several states, including Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha, investigations have revealed that conversion networks often rely on creating psychological dependency through promises of healing, education, or financial aid. The indoctrination process begins subtly, aiming to induce disaffection towards Hindu practices by portraying them as superstitious, while glorifying the alternative faith as a path to salvation. Over time, this erodes the spiritual confidence of the victims and alienates them from their roots, their deities, and their community. Such systematic manipulation, though not always overtly violent, constitutes a slow form of cultural erasure, targeting Hindus for their religious identity. Here, the activists from Hindu Jagran Manch intervened based on community intelligence and the recurring pattern of such events being used as cover for conversion efforts in Chhattisgarh. This pattern itself is evidence of intent and method. The targeting of Hindu families, under deceptive religious pretexts, reflects underlying hostility toward the Hindu faith and its followers. Furthermore, the act of insulting Hindu deities when challenged by Hindu activists underscores the contempt and hostility toward Hinduism that underpin such conversions. This deliberate denigration of Hindu symbols serves both as psychological coercion and as an assertion of dominance of one religion over another. Hence, this incident is not a matter of spreading Christianity through individual religious choice but of systematic religious aggression directed against a particular community. It violates the spiritual integrity of Hindu individuals and represents a clear instance of Hinduphobia manifested through organised, deceitful, and targeted proselytisation. It is therefore classified as a hate crime driven by religious motivation. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents based on when an event occurred or when the victim's ordeal began. It is important to clarify that none of the media sources covering this case has specified the exact date when the conversion attempts started. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date based on when the incident was reported in the media: 9 November 2025.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
