Six Christian evangelists carrying out illegal conversions arrested; police recover religious materials including Bibles and Zam Zam water
Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
15 November, 2024
Case Summary
Religious conversion activities in Shakkapur village, under the Baresar police station area, led to the arrest of six individuals by the police. Authorities confiscated Bibles and other materials from the site, registered cases under relevant sections, and sent the accused to jail. Station House Officer Rajiv Tripathi stated that Dayashankar Tiwari, a resident of the Karimuddinpur police station area, alerted the police about a large gathering in Shakkapur village, where individuals were reportedly converting people to Christianity. Acting on the tip-off, a police team promptly reached the location and found people studying the Bible and some participating in initiation ceremonies for religious conversion. Immediate action was taken, resulting in the arrest of six individuals associated with a Christian organization involved in these activities. The accused—identified as Premchand, Anil Kumar, Ram Yogesh Bind, Ram Awadh, Ritesh Kumar, and Babban Ram—were charged under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act. They were subsequently sent to jail. Religious materials, including Bibles and Zam Zam water, were recovered from the accused. Authorities have warned that any future instances of unlawful religious conversion in the area will be met with strict action. This proactive response by the police underscores their commitment to addressing illegal activities of religious conversion and maintaining communal harmony in the region.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Predatory Proselytisation. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. 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, the accused individuals were involved in conducting religious conversion activities using methods such as Bible study sessions and initiation rituals. Such actions involve subtle forms of indoctrination, where individuals are gradually exposed to religious teachings and practices, making them susceptible to conversion without fully understanding the consequences or being given an opportunity for critical reflection. Since the underlying offence, in this case, is against people of a specific faith and involves subtle tactics of indoctrination, which obviously stems from a bias against the Hindu faith, this case has been documented as a hate crime.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
