Illegal conversion activity inside Himachal's Maa Chintapurni Mandir; missionary books found within temple premises
Una, Himachal Pradesh, India 
10 April, 2025
Case Summary
An incident of religious interference was reported from the sacred premises of Maa Chintapurni Mandir, a revered Shakti Peetha located in Himachal Pradesh. A devotee from Punjab, who had come to seek blessings at the temple, discovered Christian missionary literature placed inside a cupboard traditionally used to store Hindu religious texts like the Hanuman Chalisa and Mata Chintpurni Chalisa. The presence of these materials raised concerns about a targeted conversion agenda being carried out in one of Hinduism’s most significant pilgrimage sites. According to the devotee, the missionary books were not tucked away or hidden, but openly accessible to visitors, suggesting a deliberate attempt to influence unsuspecting pilgrims. The devotee recorded the evidence and shared it to alert devotees. The books promoted Christian beliefs and carried messaging inconsistent with the temple’s religious ethos, which is centred on Devi worship. It is noteworthy that the same temple was at the centre of a separate controversy just days earlier, when an LED screen installed by the temple authorities displayed images of Jesus, Mary, and other Christian content. Reacting to the incident, Abhishek Padha, the state co-convener of the BJP’s Dev Samaj Cell, stated, “Mata Chintpurni Temple is the pride of Himachal. Such missionary activities are an attack on our identity and belief system,” expressing serious concerns over the growing influence of proselytisation efforts within sacred Hindu spaces.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added as a religiously motivated hate crime under the prime category- Attack on Hindu religious representations. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Breaking rules of place of worship. Sanatan Dharma is not a religion of one book, which is to say that while it has religious scriptures that form the central tenets of the faith, there are several traditions followed through thousands of years, mostly passed from generation to generation orally. One of these oral traditions or written traditions is the rules of specific temples. Certain temples have rules which are traditional rules, dependent on the worship of the presiding deities. These rules and traditions have been followed for thousands of years whether they find scriptural mention or not. Such traditions are based on the nature and rules of worship of the presiding deity of that temple. Any non-compliance of these traditions owing to animosity towards the faith or for the sake of activism stems not only from the lack of faith in the presiding deity but also disregard for the faith of the devotees of that deity/temple and implicit bias against the faith, the tradition and the deity itself. Since these specific traditions are central to the faith of the devotees of that specific temple and presiding deity, any non-compliance with these traditional rules would be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. The second category selected here is- Predatory Proselytisation and within this, the sub-category selected is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. Under 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 constitutes a religiously motivated hate crime as it involves the deliberate violation of sacred norms within a Hindu place of worship. By introducing Christian missionary literature into the premises of this temple, those responsible disregarded not only the rules of the temple but also showed a blatant lack of respect for the sentiments and beliefs of the devotees. The materials were placed in a manner easily accessible to devotees, indicating an organised effort to influence Hindu pilgrims during moments of spiritual devotion. Such actions represent not merely the dissemination of religious material but a deliberate intrusion into a sacred Hindu space with the intent to subtly undermine and redirect faith. By introducing alternative religious propaganda into a Hindu place of worship, the perpetrators sought to manipulate devotees who come seeking blessings, often in emotionally or spiritually vulnerable states. This act is part of a larger, identifiable pattern wherein Hindu spaces, festivals, and institutions are targeted for covert proselytisation efforts. The use of religious manipulation within temple grounds reflects an underlying animosity towards Hindu traditions, making the act both a breach of religious boundaries and a targeted attempt at conversion. These elements classify the incident as a hate-motivated act against Hinduism, justifying its categorisation as a hate crime within the tracker.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
