Hindus induced to convert to Christianity as pastors denigrate Hindu deities and downplay the Pahalgam Anti-Hindu terror attack
Mayurbhanj, Odisha, India 
18 May, 2025
Case Summary
In the Munda Sahi village, within the Kataria police station area of Odisha, Hindu villagers were induced to convert to Christianity. The pastors behind this attempt made derogatory remarks about Hindu gods and subsequently downplayed the anti-Hindu massacre in Pahalgam by Pakistan-backed Islamist terrorists. According to reports, the three accused were identified as Pastor Patras Gunua, Babuni Munda, and Pradeep Munda. They organised a meeting in the village where they lured Hindus to adopt Christianity. During this meeting, the accused made derogatory remarks about Hindu deities and downplayed the Pahalgam anti-Hindu massacre by expressing support for Pakistan and blaming India for the terror attack. In a horrific act of terror in the Baisaran Valley of Pahalgam, Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan-backed Islamic terrorists systematically identified and targeted Hindu victims. The terrorists demanded names and religious identities, inspected ID cards, coerced tourists to recite the Kalma, and even forcibly pulled down their trousers to check for circumcision—all in order to single out Hindus. Once identified, the Hindus were shot at point-blank range. The attack, carried out by operatives of The Resistance Force, a proxy of the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed the lives of 24 Hindus and left 16 others critically injured. Following these denigrating remarks about Hindus, their deities, and India, the local residents became angry and filed a complaint at the police station. The local Hindus stated that the pastors had come from outside to conduct the meeting, made provocative remarks, and aimed to create social disharmony. They demanded that the police take strict action against the perpetrators. Recognising the sensitivity of the matter, the police acted quickly and registered a case against the three pastors. An investigation was launched into this matter.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. Within this, the subcategory chosen 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 subcategory is- Attempt 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 primary category in this case is - Hate Speech against Hindus. Within this, the subcategory selected is- Denial or mocking of genocide/ large-scale persecution. Denial or mocking of genocide/large-scale persecution/ethnic cleansing refers to the act of denying or minimizing the fact of the ethnic cleansing and/or genocide and/or religious persecution of Hindus. This often involves denying the scale, mechanisms, religious intent, or even the occurrence of the ethnic cleansing and/or genocide and/or religious persecution of Hindus. Hate speech of this kind involves the dissemination of falsehoods that deny or distort established historical facts or mock the suffering of Hindus by saying that they deserved the persecution, motivated by Hinduphobia. Denying such atrocities is not only about the denial of facts or rewriting/revising history, but it also delegitimises the religiously motivated persecution of Hindus, the religious hate/motivation/animosity that led to the persecution, and dehumanises Hindus as a religious group. Such denial of ethnic cleansing and/or genocide and/or religious persecution of Hindus not only denies the suffering but also paves the way for future/present atrocities and hate speech, inciting prejudice and violence against Hindus. It also provides a justification for violence by delinking religious animosity from religiously motivated crimes committed against Hindus. Since such denial and/or mocking of genocide/ethnic cleansing/atrocities motivated by religious animosity leads to present and future ramifications of creating more hate speech, violence, dehumanisation and delegitimisation, it would be considered hate speech under this category. This case involves Christian pastors organising a meeting in Munda Sahi village to induce Hindu villagers to abandon their faith and convert to Christianity. Such inducement is not merely a matter of religious propagation; it highlights the perpetrators’ animosity and prejudice towards the victims’ original faith. The deliberate targeting of Hindus with the intent to convert them, especially through inducement, directly attacks the religious identity and autonomy of the Hindu community. These actions are not isolated incidents; rather, they reflect a pattern of hostility and hatred harboured towards Hindus by adherents of the Christian faith, rooted in religious disdain for Hinduism. Secondly, the perpetrators made derogatory remarks about Hindu deities, making the religious motivation behind the crime even more evident. This goes beyond religious debate or proselytisation; it constitutes an act of incitement and insult directed at the core beliefs of the Hindu community. Such remarks are designed to demean and undermine the faith of Hindus, fostering an environment of hostility and disrespect. Hindu deities are highly revered by Hindus. Any attempt to insult or abuse them is deeply offensive to Hindus. These acts of insulting Hindu deities stem from Christian theology, which harbours disdain and even hatred for polytheistic faiths, and which often categorises Hindus as ‘polytheists’, thereby fostering prejudice against them. Furthermore, the perpetrators downplayed the Pahalgam anti-Hindu violence by supporting Pakistan and blaming India for the incident. Some may argue that such comments are simply pro-Pakistan or anti-India, rather than specifically anti-Hindu. However, it is important to note that the Pahalgam attack was carried out by Islamic terrorists backed by Pakistan, and Hindus were selectively targeted after their faith was confirmed. Hindu victims were coerced to recite the Kalma and show their ID cards. By whitewashing Pakistan’s involvement in the attack, the perpetrators aimed to whitewash the targeted nature of the violence against Hindus, and by blaming India, they further reinforced this bias. The support for Pakistan highlights that the perpetrators supported a hostile nation which harbours and supports terror attacks against India and particularly Hindus. The adherents of Abrahamic faiths view India as a Hindu collectivity; therefore, any anti-India and pro-Pakistan statements regarding the Pahalgam terror attack are inherently anti-Hindu. As this case clearly highlights the religious motivation behind the crime, therefore, it is being added to the hate crime database.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
