Hindus belonging to Bhil community targeted in coercive religious conversion drive, Hindu deities denigrated, victims forced to wear crosses
Kota, Rajasthan, India 
20 April, 2025
Case Summary
A case emerged from Motipura village in the Kaithoon police station area of Kota district, Rajasthan, where an incident of religious conversion came to light. A foreign national, recently returned from the United States and the son-in-law of Christian missionary Joy Mathew, was at the centre of the controversy. The individual began efforts to convert Hindus belonging to the Bhil community to Christianity. According to reports, the group had gathered over fifty members of the Bhil community at a single location, where disrespectful remarks were made about Hindu deities. The villagers were made to recite Christian prayers and were forced to wear crosses. A non-vegetarian meal, including chicken baati, had also been arranged as part of a broader attempt to lure the villagers towards the Christian faith. Members of Bajrang Dal, upon receiving information, reached the site, confronted the group, and called in the local police. Members of the Bhil community stated that a Christian missionary named Joy Matthew lives in their village. He owns a large plot there where he has built a rest house. The missionary promises to provide people with rations and money. He has even constructed houses for several individuals. Joy Matthew asks people to throw pictures of Hindu gods and goddesses into the drain. Police officer Sandeep Sharma confirmed that a formal complaint had been filed and that an investigation had commenced. Central and state intelligence agencies, including the ATS and SOG, were placed on alert. A joint interrogation cell took over the matter for deeper investigation. Bajrang Dal’s regional coordinator, Yogesh Renwal, mentioned that when their team arrived, the conversion activities were already in progress, involving both local residents and foreign Christian missionaries.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. The sub-category relevant in this case 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 other sub-category relevant 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. The other sub-category relevant 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 other sub-category relevant is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination, and 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 proselytisation, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. This case from Motipura clearly demonstrates a systematic and targeted attempt to dismantle the religious identity of Hindus, particularly those from the Bhil community. The organiser, a foreign national connected to a Christian missionary, orchestrated a large-scale gathering where vulnerable Hindu villagers were enticed using a lavish non-vegetarian feast. Such incentives were designed to make the setting appear hospitable and appealing, masking the underlying intent to influence religious beliefs. Once assembled, the villagers were subjected to rituals alien to their faith, including being made to wear crosses and recite Christian prayers, acts that symbolise submission and alignment to another religion. Further, the accused also resorted to insulting Hindu deities. By asking the Hindus to throw the pictures of Hindu gods and goddesses in the drain, the Christian missionary aimed to provoke and alienate members of the Hindu community from their faith. This tactic is usually employed not only to assert the perceived superiority of their own religious beliefs over Hinduism but also to instil doubt in the minds of Hindus, making them more susceptible to conversion. Insulting Hinduism in attempts to brainwash Hindus against their religion itself stems from the animosity against the Hindu faith, which is why this case qualifies as a hate crime against Hindus and has been documented here.
Victim Details
Total Victim
50
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 50
Caste
- SC/ST 50
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 0
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 50
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
