Tribal Hindu families brainwashed into Christian conversion under the pretext of curing illnesses; accused urged villagers to throw away Hindu deities
Kanker, Chhattisgarh, India 
12 October, 2025
Case Summary
In Navadbari village of Kanker district, Chhattisgarh, two tribal Hindu families were deceived into converting to Christianity under the pretext of curing illnesses by a Christian pastor. According to reports, two Hindu men, Manbhal Vatti and Khor Bahrin Matiara, were converted to Christianity several years ago after being misled by a Christian pastor. The pastor converted them, including their families, under the pretext of curing illness. They were made to attend Christian prayer meetings and were pressured to reject the village's traditional Hindu deities, including Shitala Mata, and traditional worship practices, while simultaneously being compelled to follow only Jesus Christ. Over time, they realised the importance of their home, village, society, and traditional culture. They decided to return to Hinduism. With the efforts of public representatives, community leaders, and Hindu villagers, both families were brought back to Hinduism. They were welcomed back through traditional rituals by the villagers. Furthermore, it was also revealed that there were increasing cases of religious conversion activities in the area, leading to tension in the village. A village meeting was held on 13 October 2025, attended by key officials, men, and women from every household, where Hindu villagers decided to ban Christian figures, including priests, from entering the village to preserve traditional customs.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The case has been added to the tracker under the prime category- Predatory proselytisation. Under this, the sub-category selected 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 selected 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 subcategory selected is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation, or subtle indoctrination. 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 proselytization, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. This case has been added to the tracker because two tribal Hindu families in Navadbari village, Narharpur tehsil, Kanker district, were deceived into converting to Christianity by a Christian pastor under the pretext of curing illnesses. Firstly, converting Hindus under the guise of curing illnesses, particularly targeting vulnerable tribal populations, is not an act of charity or concern. It represents a calculated effort to exploit their vulnerability based on their religious identity. By providing false healing promises and inducements in exchange for conversion, the accused was effectively blackmailing those who might have been desperate for assistance or hope. Such instances reflect a broader pattern where members of missionary groups target socially and economically vulnerable Hindus, particularly tribal communities, to further their agenda of religious conversion. This form of coercion undermines personal agency and dignity, resulting in coerced departures from the Hindu faith. Secondly, the pastor did not limit his activities to persuasion but pressured Hindu victims to reject the village's traditional Hindu deities, including Shitala Mata, and abandon customary worship practices. This went beyond persuasion, constituting an act of insult and incitement directed at the core beliefs of the Hindu community. By encouraging the families to renounce or disregard the deities and traditional rituals of their village, the pastor sought to demean their faith and create confusion or doubt about their own religion. Such acts foster hostility towards Hinduism and demonstrate the religiously motivated nature of the deception. In Hinduism, Hindu deities and idols are not merely symbolic but are deeply revered manifestations of the divine. Attempting to dissuade the families from worshipping them represents a direct affront to their faith and an intentional act of religious disrespect. Thirdly, the pastor also conducted prayer meetings in the area, which the victims were made to attend. The act of inviting Hindus to a prayer gathering, while simultaneously conducting conversion activities, demonstrates that these meetings were not genuine religious sessions or community prayers. Instead, they were calculated efforts to exploit the trust and social cohesion within the Hindu community by disguising conversion attempts as routine gatherings. The combination of deception, denigration of Hindu symbols and practices, and the organised approach to conversion highlights that the crime was religiously motivated and targeted against Hindus as a community. Conversion under such circumstances, driven by external pressure rather than personal conviction, constitutes an attempt to undermine the values, traditions, and identity of the Hindu community. Furthermore, the villagers revealed that there were increasing cases of Christian conversion in the area. Thus, the nature of the inducements, the denigration of Hindu symbols, and the organised manner of the conversion attempts all indicate that the crime was religiously motivated and specifically targeted against Hindus as a collectivity. When individuals or groups focus their efforts on converting members of a particular religion, in this case, Hindus, it demonstrates a fundamental disregard for the Hindu faith. Conversion, especially when not based on personal conviction but rather on external persuasion or pressure, is not simply about sharing a different belief system. It is an attempt to undermine the values, traditions, and identity of the Hindu community. The Christian faith, by its very theological foundations, places a strong emphasis on proselytisation. In pursuit of conversion objectives, Christian evangelists often employ unethical means, ranging from psychological pressure and misinformation to inducements or denigration of Hinduism. Such acts were deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims, and thus, this case was added to the tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents based on when an event occurred or when the victim's ordeal began. It is important to clarify that none of the media sources covering this case has specified the exact date when the victim was converted. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date based on when the incident was reported in the media - 13 October 2025. Although the victim's family were also converted to Christianity, the exact number of people converted is unknown. Only two individuals, Manbhal Vatti and Khor Bahrin Matiara, have been specifically mentioned, so the number of victims has been conservatively recorded as two.
Victim Details
Total Victim
2
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 2
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 2
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 0
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 2
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Complaint not filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
