Tribals lured into conversion to Christianity with promises of healing, told they are not Hindus
Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh, India 
27 December, 2024
Case Summary
A case of religious conversion surfaced in Kerpani village, under the Nepanagar police station in Burhanpur district. A Christian prayer meeting was held at the house of a tribal resident, Shantilal Badole, where a large tent was set up. Tribals were told they were not Hindus and were encouraged to convert to Christianity with promises of curing illnesses through prayer. Upon learning of the event, members of the Bajrang Dal and villagers arrived at the scene, leading to a confrontation. Police from the Nepanagar station arrived at the spot, where Bajrang Dal members accused the organisers of promoting religious conversion, while the Christian attendees alleged they were assaulted. Both groups were taken to the police station. Following a complaint, a case under the Religious Freedom Act was registered against 10 individuals from Khandwa, Burhanpur, and Nagpur districts. Complainant Baliram Kirade, a resident of Golkheda, stated he attended the gathering seeking relief from a stomach ailment. He said that attendees were told their illnesses would be cured if they adopted Christianity and that tribals were not part of Hinduism. He reported seeing a crowd in a large tent, where Christian songs were played, and the benefits of converting were promoted. He said he was also pressured to convert and subsequently filed a complaint seeking legal action. Nepanagar police station in-charge Gyanu Jaiswal confirmed that outsiders were involved in the event and had facilitated conversions.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Predatory Proselytisation. Under this, the first sub-category selected is- Conversion/attempts to convert by inducements. 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 second sub-category selected here 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. In this case, the Christian extremists were offering miracle cures to vulnerable Hindus in an attempt to disenfranchise them from their professed faith and convert them to Christianity. The accused also attempted to convert the Hindu victims by making them believe that they were not part of Hinduism. Luring Hindus to convert to a different faith by offering money and inducements such as miracle cures for ailments is predatory in nature since the extremists manipulate the specific vulnerabilities of disadvantaged and poor Hindus to manipulate them into conversion. This stems from inherent hostility towards the victim's professed faith since Abrahamic faiths believe that any non-adherent to the faith is a subject to be dehumanised till they convert. Since such predatory actions stem from doctrinal animosity towards the Hindu faith and its adherents, this case is being documented as a religiously motivated hate crime.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 10 to 100
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
