Three Christian evengelists arrested for trying to convert poor people through monetary inducements

Case ID : b45f3c6 | Location : Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Mon, 9 December, 2024
Case ID : b45f3c6
location Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, India
date 9 December, 2024
Three Christian evengelists arrested for trying to convert poor people through monetary inducements
Predatory Proselytisation
Conversion/ attempts to convert by inducement

Case Summary

In Amethi district's Ramganj area, police arrested three individuals on charges of illegal religious conversion. The arrests followed complaints from villagers in Agresar, who revealed that impoverished families were being enticed with monetary incentives to convert. The accused—Om Prakash, Ram Lal Kori, and Sandeep Kori—were reportedly conducting Christian prayer meetings at Om Prakash's residence, which complainant Govind attended multiple times. Govind claimed that villagers were offered financial benefits to adopt Christianity. Subsequently, the police registered a case under relevant sections of the Illegal Religious Conversion Prohibition Act and apprehended the three accused.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This particular case has been classified as a religiously motivated hate crime 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. Further, based on case details, the sub-category selected here 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. Here, some Christian evangelists attempted to convert individuals through inducements, such as money. The use of inducements to convert individuals is indeed a common tactic in efforts to influence or manipulate vulnerable individuals into changing their faith. This approach often targets economically disadvantaged groups, offering material benefits such as food, money, or livestock in exchange for conversion. It creates a form of dependency that can alienate individuals from their original faith, as they may feel compelled to convert not out of genuine belief but due to immediate needs or financial pressures. Here too, the Christian evangelists adopted a similar tactic of exploiting the vulnerability of the Hindus to convert them to Christianity. 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. Disclaimer: Given the lack of clarity on how many villagers may have been influenced by the conversion efforts for accuracy, we are currently recognizing only the man who reported coercion as the confirmed victim in this instance.

Victim Details

Total Victim

1

Deceased

0


Gender

  • Male 1
  • Female 0
  • Third Gender 0
  • Unknown 0

Caste

  • SC/ST 0
  • OBC 0
  • General 0
  • Unknown 1

Age Group

  • Minor 0
  • Adult 1
  • Senior Citizen 0
  • Unknown 0
Case Status Background
Gavel Icon

Case Status


Arrested

Case Status Background
Gavel Icon

Perpetrators Details

Perpetrators


Christian Extremists

Perpetrators Range


From 2 To 5

Perpetrators Gender


male

Case Details SVG
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