Dalit Hindus converted to Christianity under the guise of prayers and educational activities

Case ID : b507408 | Location : Bihar, India | Date of Incident : Sun, 17 November, 2024

Case ID : b507408

Bihar, India

17 November, 2024

Dalit Hindus converted to Christianity under the guise of prayers and educational activities

Predatory Proselytisation

Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination

Case Summary

In the Sihra Panchayat of East Champaran district in Bihar, a case of illegal religious conversion came to the fore where Christian missionaries were targeting Dalits and marginalized communities under the guise of prayers and educational activities. Locals in the area complained that a Christian missionary school had been established, with missionaries influencing Dalits and economically weaker sections across several villages, including Madhuban, Chaita, Katas, Majhar, Bahuara, Rajepur, and Tetaria. Residents said that conversion activities often take place during Sunday prayers, with women and children being transported to a local church in tempos. Dr. Upendra Yadav, a local doctor who converted to Christianity, was accused of donating land to a church and facilitating conversions within his family and community. Locals further revealed that 20-25 people from Sihra Panchayat and over 500 people in the Pakadidayal subdivision had converted to Christianity. Ganesha Ram from Etawa village in Sirha Panchayat recently reconverted to Hinduism after previously embracing Christianity. He stated that his decision to leave Christianity and return to Hinduism was influenced by his family’s insistence and his own choice. Arvind Kumar, the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of Pakadidayal told IANS that a police team had been dispatched to investigate the matter. “Any cases of conversion in the area would be dealt with strictly, and appropriate action would be taken against those involved,” he said.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

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. The accused in this instance attempted to entice the Hindu victims to renounce their faith and adopt Christianity by luring them with educational activities. Luring men or women from disadvantaged social classes with material temptations is a classic tactic used by such perpetrators to force their victims to abandon their stated religion and accept a foreign one. This case has been classified as a religiously motivated hate crime because the act of taking advantage of vulnerabilities with the intention of explicitly converting someone is motivated only by hatred against the victim's religion.