Hindus targeted through inducement and brainwashing for conversion to Christianity in Varanasi
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India 
13 August, 2024
Case Summary
A Hindu family in the village of Nadoy, Varanasi, was being lured with money to convert to Christianity. In connection with this, the Sindhora police of Varanasi arrested Rajendra Jaiswar, a member of a Christian missionary group. Rajendra Jaiswar, a resident of village Pauni, Police Station Kerakat, Jaunpur, Jaunpur, was apprehended near Bajrang Nagar Tiraha while attempting to convert the Hindu family by offering them money. The police confirmed that a case was already registered against Rajendra Jaiswar. During his arrest, authorities recovered a Bible and two diaries containing writings about Christianity. During interrogation, Rajendra admitted that he was a committed supporter of Christianity and was actively trying to convert Hindus in village Nadoy by luring them with money. Following the incident, the police increased security in the area to prevent similar attempts in the future and to safeguard the local Hindu community.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. The sub-category relevant in this case 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 sub-category relevant is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination, and 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. In this case, a Hindu family was offered money to convert to Christianity. Such inducement exploits the economic vulnerability of the Hindu victim, taking advantage of financial need to pressure them into abandoning their religious identity. Predatory proselytisation in this form is a hate crime because the victim’s religious identity is targeted and exploited; the attempt to disenfranchise the victim from their faith is central to the crime. Offering money, jobs, or other material benefits to convert constitutes a direct form of exploitation and constitutes religiously motivated targeting. Rajendra Jaiswar systematically attempted to influence the Hindu family through inducement and persuasion. Religious grooming or subtle indoctrination exploits trust and authority, creating conditions where victims may feel compelled or inclined to accept a new faith. In this case, the perpetrator used material benefits to manipulate and gradually displace allegiance to the victim’s own faith. Such methods, though not overtly violent, reflect calculated predatory behaviour driven by animosity toward the Hindu faith. Overall, this case represents a clear pattern of targeting Hindus. The perpetrator deliberately sought out a Hindu family, leveraged their economic vulnerability, and used inducement to attempt conversion. The religious identity of the victims was at the core of the crime, demonstrating animosity toward Hinduism. Cases such as these are considered religiously motivated hate crimes because the underlying intent is to undermine, manipulate, or eradicate the victim’s original faith through predatory and manipulative practices.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
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