Hindus manipulated into religious conversion through inducements by Christian missionaries

Case ID : aa4ae5d | Location : Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, India | Date of Incident : Sat, 5 April, 2025

Case ID : aa4ae5d

Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, India

5 April, 2025

Hindus manipulated into religious conversion through inducements by Christian missionaries

Predatory Proselytisation

Conversion/ attempts to convert by inducement

Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination

Pattern of targeting Hindus

Case Summary

In Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, a case of religious conversion came to light in the Atal Awas locality under the jurisdiction of Sarakanda police station. Following a complaint, the police took action and detained six individuals, including Pastor Deepak Singh Sidar and his wife Pooja. The event took place on 6th April on the occasion of Ram Navami. The accused had organised a Christian prayer gathering in which local Hindus were being encouraged to convert under the promise of healing and prosperity. The event was part of a pattern of similar meetings that had reportedly been taking place every Sunday across Bahatarai and nearby areas. The FIR, filed by Pankaj Pandey of a Hindu organisation, mentioned that the prayer meeting was being used as a front to offer inducements and create fear around illness and poverty to pressure Hindus into conversion. According to the complaint, around 50 people were present at the gathering, and many were told their problems would vanish if they accepted Christianity. The police reached the location and took the six organisers into custody. The case was registered under Section 3 of the Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act, and religious literature was also confiscated from the premises.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of- Predatory proselytisation. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Conversion/attempts to convert by inducements. 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 sub-category relevant here is- Proselytisation by brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. Within this, the tertiary category selected is- 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. This case is considered a religiously motivated hate crime because it involves targeting individuals based on their Hindu identity and exploiting their economic vulnerabilities to induce religious conversion. The religious identity of the victim is central to the act, and the aim is to separate them from their belief system. Such exploitation is predatory in nature and constitutes a form of coercion. As the motivation for the act is specifically directed against the victim’s religion, it qualifies as a hate crime. The use of regular prayer gatherings as a front indicates that indirect methods may have been employed to influence individuals toward conversion, potentially by appealing to their emotional, social, or religious vulnerabilities. The consistent occurrence of these meetings every Sunday supports concerns that efforts were being made to influence Hindu participants over time. The pattern—from drawing in economically disadvantaged individuals under the guise of social support to encouraging religious conversion—suggests a systematic approach consistent with predatory proselytisation. Given the targeted nature of these activities and the use of manipulative tactics, the case qualifies as a religiously motivated incident and warrants inclusion in the tracker.