Convent school in Jharkhand accused of attempting to convert children
Kodarma, Jharkhand, India 
7 July, 2023
Case Summary
On July 8, 2023, a case of religious conversion emerged at GEMS English School in Koderma district, Jharkhand. Around 400-500 people were gathered at the school for Christian prayers. Residents, suspecting a conversion programme, caused a commotion and alerted the police. The police detained 14 people, including 11 men and 3 women, and began an investigation. The incident occurred in the Tilaiya police station area, with attendees from Koderma, Gaya, and Nawada. The villagers said this was not the first such event and accused the school of attempting to convert children. The school principal, Manvil, clarified that the prayer meeting was to celebrate the school's 50th anniversary and attendees came voluntarily. Koderma SP Praveen Pushkar confirmed that police intervened based on conversion suspicions and further investigation is underway.
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 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 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 indoctrinated 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.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 10 to 100
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
