Poor Hindu tribals targeted for religious conversion under the pretext of religious gatherings
Dangs (India), Gujarat, India 
28 April, 2025
Case Summary
In Junner village of Subir taluka, Dang district, Gujarat, tensions escalated during a religious conversion event named "Atmik Jagruti", organised by members of the Christian community. Local Hindu residents and organisations, including members of the Agniveer Hindu Sangathan, gathered to protest against the event, stating that it was being used as a platform for religious conversions, specifically targeting local Adivasi populations. Protesters questioned the legitimacy of the attendees' religious identities, raising concerns about whether participants were genuine Christians or recent converts under pressure. Another protester emphasised that there are no Christian residents in the area, asserting that the event was part of an ongoing pattern of proselytisation of Tribals. In response to the unrest, the police clarified that no official permission had been granted for religious conversions and assured that such activities would not be permitted. To prevent further escalation, the police temporarily detained a few of the protesters. The situation was brought under control without any violence.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of: - Predatory proselytisation. Within it, the sub-category selected is: - Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination, with the tertiary sub-category being: - 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 wherein Hindu Adivasi were deliberately targeted with the intent of gradually alienating them from their native faith and subtly fostering acceptance of Christianity. The event, titled Atmik Jagruti, served as a covert platform for subtle proselytisation masked as a spiritual gathering. Local residents raised valid concerns, especially since there are no native Christian families in the area, suggesting that the sudden arrival of Christian evangelists was a planned effort to target and convert vulnerable tribal communities. The Christian faith, by its very theological foundations, places significant emphasis on proselytisation. In pursuit of conversion goals, evangelists often resort to a range of questionable tactics, including deception, subtle denigration of indigenous faiths, and even inducement through monetary or material benefits. Such methods are employed to systematically weaken the religious identity of Hindu victims and alienate them from their ancestral traditions. In this instance, the combination of community concern, covert organisation of the event, and the targeting of a demographically vulnerable group suggests a systematic pattern of predatory proselytisation. It reflects a deeper religious malice that seeks not just to convert, but to erode the spiritual foundations and collective identity of Hindu Adivasis.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
