Four arrested in Rampur for converting people to Christianity under the garb of providing free education
Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
30 September, 2024
Case Summary
In Uttar Pradesh's Rampur district, four individuals were arrested for luring people with promises of free education and civil service preparation while secretly teaching Christianity. Bhim Singh, a resident of Uttarakhand, alerted authorities, stating that the institute was using educational opportunities as a cover to convert individuals to Christianity. Following his complaint, police started investigating and registered a case against the accused: Himanshu, Gaurav Mais, Rampal, and Ashutosh. Initially, police reported the incident as an assault; however, upon further investigation, they changed their stance to recognise it as a case of religious conversion. The arrested individuals were sent to court, and police Inspector Sunil Kumar confirmed the registration of a case based on Singh's allegations.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The case has been added to the tracker under the prime category- Predatory proselytisation. Further, as per case details, the sub-category chosen within the above-mentioned category 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. In this case, the accused offered educational opportunities as a cover to induce unsuspecting victims to change their faith. By exploiting the victim's desire for social and economic upliftment through education, these individuals manipulated their vulnerabilities for the purpose of proselytisation. Such cases reflect a pattern where victims are targeted based on their economic vulnerabilities and are induced to convert by offering material benefits like free education. The core of the crime is the manipulation of the victims' religious identity through financial or educational incentives, thus making it a religiously motivated crime.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
