Hindus subjected to conversion via denigration of their gods in Christian prayer meeting in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh
Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, India 
17 February, 2024
Case Summary
In the village of Siddhanpurva, in the Nanpara area of Bahraich, a Christian prayer meeting was conducted at the house of a man named Baburam. During the meeting, objectionable comments were made about Hindu deities, and several Hindus were converted to Christianity. Bajrang Dal was informed about the incident, and Dipanshu Srivastava, department convenor of Bajrang Dal Avadh Prant, visited the village with a team to protest against the actions at Baburam’s house. Following the protest, Dipanshu submitted a written complaint to the police regarding the illegal conversion activity. Nanpara Kotwali in-charge Mithilesh Kumar Rai registered a case based on the complaint. Baburam, resident of Kotwa Washirganj; Shatrughan Lal, resident of Basantpur, Police Station Khairighat; and Gurudin Gautam, resident of Maghi village, were arrested for conducting the illegal conversion event.
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- 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 prayer meeting conducted at Baburam’s house involved deliberate denigration of Hindu deities. During the meeting, Hindus were subjected to disrespectful and insulting comments about their faith while efforts were made to convert them to Christianity. Although the attendees may have been present by choice, the explicit attempt to demean Hinduism and pressure them into conversion demonstrates a targeted attack on their religious identity. Such actions constitute a hate crime because they are motivated by animosity toward Hinduism. The deliberate misrepresentation, insult, and denigration of Hindu beliefs and practices during the event are aimed at coercing or persuading Hindus to abandon their faith. These tactics go beyond mere religious persuasion and constitute a systematic effort to undermine Hindu identity, making the incident a clear example of a religiously motivated attack against Hindus.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
