Hindu woman and her mother attacked by husband for refusing to convert to Christianity
Mandya, Karnataka, India 
11 April, 2025
Case Summary
An incident of religiously motivated violence unfolded in Srirangapatna, where a man named Srikanth violently assaulted his wife, Lakshmi, and her mother, Shruti, following months of pressure to convert to Christianity. Srikanth, who had converted four years earlier, had repeatedly attempted to coerce his wife and mother-in-law into abandoning their faith. The situation within the household had deteriorated over time, with Lakshmi even attempting suicide three days prior to the assault, having written a death note expressing the emotional trauma she endured due to the prolonged harassment. On 12 April, Srikanth, along with several relatives, attacked Lakshmi and Shruti using metal rods and other weapons, in an attempt to settle the issue of religious conversion by force. The two women sustained head injuries and were rushed to Srirangapatna Taluk Hospital for medical care. Lakshmi’s brother, Ravikiran, later filed a formal complaint, prompting the police to register a First Information Report against Srikanth and nine others involved in the violent episode. The case exposed the ongoing strain and abuse faced by the victims, who had resisted multiple attempts to alter their religious identity under duress. The incident also brought to light a broader pattern of forced conversions in Palahalli village. Reports suggested that missionaries had built a church and lured villagers with monetary inducements, including sums reportedly as high as Rs 25 lakhs. Lakshmi, meanwhile, described a trend of families maintaining Hindu identities in official documents to retain access to government welfare, while internally adopting Christian practices.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category- Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes. The sub-category relevant in this case is- Assault or threat upon refusal to convert. When Hindu women are in a relationship with non-Hindu men, there are cases where the woman faces threats or assault after she refuses to convert and change her religious identity owing to pressure/force by the non-Hindu man. Such relationships may be consensual with the religious identity of the non-Hindu man known to the victim. Somewhere along the relationship, the non-Hindu man starts pressurizing the Hindu woman to convert to Islam and upon her refusal, assaults or threatens the victim. Such cases are driven by specific religious motivations and against the religious identity of the victim and are therefore qualified as hate crimes. Cases where the Hindu woman converts to Islam and does not file a complaint about the force or threat, are not considered a part of the hate tracker, even though, it may be argued that the woman was brainwashed or threatened to convert to Islam. The second category selected here is- Predatory proselytisation. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Harassment, threats, coercion for conversion. Harassment covers a wide range of behaviours of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behaviour that demeans, humiliates, and intimidates a person, including threats and coercion. Harassment and threats, in this case, find their root on discriminatory grounds which has the effect of nullifying a person’s rights or infringing upon his freedom to exercise his right specifically owing to the victim’s religious identity. Verbal and physical threats and psychological or physical harassment are often used against Hindu victims because they choose to practice their professed religion. Religious harassment also includes forced and involuntary conversions by harassment, threats or coercion. Coercion includes intimidatory tactics like force-feeding a Hindu victim beef to convert to another religion, forceful circumcision etc. In several cases documented, non-Hindu perpetrators or those who harbour specific animosity towards Hinduism, harass victims simply based on their religious identity. Such cases often also include harassment to ensure the Hindu victim abandons his/her professed religion and adopts the religion of the perpetrator. Such cases where Hindu victims are harassed to convert to the perpetrator’s religion are rooted in animosity towards the victim’s religious identity and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. This incident represents a clear case of religiously motivated violence, rooted in hostility towards a woman’s commitment to her Hindu faith. The perpetrator, Srikanth, who had converted to Christianity, repeatedly pressured his wife, Lakshmi, and her mother to renounce their beliefs and embrace his adopted religion. When these coercive attempts failed, he resorted to brutal violence in a deliberate effort to force compliance through fear and intimidation. Such actions reflect not only an utter disregard for the victims' right to religious freedom but also a targeted assault on their identity and dignity as Hindus. The emotional trauma inflicted upon Lakshmi was so severe that she had attempted to take her own life, underscoring the psychological toll of sustained religious harassment within a relationship. The subsequent physical attack, carried out with weapons and involving multiple accomplices, illustrates the calculated and aggressive nature of the coercion. This was not a private domestic altercation—it was an act of hate, executed because the victims steadfastly refused to abandon their religion. The pattern of manipulation, harassment, and violent reprisal against those resisting religious conversion indicates a deeply ingrained animosity toward their faith, warranting this case's inclusion in the tracker.
Victim Details
Total Victim
2
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 2
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 2
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 2
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
