Eight people arrested for converting Hindus to Christianity luring them with money in Ayodhya
Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India 
12 October, 2024
Case Summary
On October 13, police intervened in Majhauliya village, Sidhir Narsinghpur, Ayodhya, after reports surfaced of conversions taking place under the guise of Christian prayer meetings. A local, Pushkar Dutt, filed a complaint, stating that Christian missionaries offered him Rs. 50,000 to attend the prayer meetings. he further stated that the Christian missionaries also claimed that they could cure their diseases and alleviate them from poverty. The Purakalandar police, led by Station In-charge Devendra Singh and Ayodhya Area Officer Ashutosh Tiwari, reached the location and detained eight individuals, including both men and women. Religious books and worship materials were seized from the scene. The police were alerted that members of the Hindu community were being encouraged to convert to Christianity during regular Sunday prayer meetings. Villagers revealed that such meetings had been taking place for some time, promising attendees relief from illness and poverty.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This particular case has been classified as a religiously motivated crime under the subcategory- 'Conversion/attempts to convert by inducement, under the core category of 'Predatory Proselytisation' because of the various distinct components that demonstrate the perpetrator's bias against the Hindu faith and the deliberate attempt to alienate the victims from their Hindu identity. 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 Christian evangelists were attempting to exploit a specific vulnerability of the victims who were in all likelihood also economically backward. The missionaries exploited the poor victims by promising them money and cures for their ailments - a cure that they either could not afford or for incurable diseases. Since exploiting vulnerabilities for the explicit purpose of conversion is purely based on animosity towards the victim's faith, this case has been categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
both
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