Hindu villagers targeted and offered incentives for Christian conversion; missionaries denigrated Hindu deities
Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh, India 
4 January, 2026
Case Summary
In the Ambedkar Basti of Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh, Dalit Hindu villagers, including children, were targeted and offered inducements for religious conversion under the guise of a prayer meeting by Christian missionaries. The missionaries also abused Hindu deities in order to push Hindus towards conversions. According to the complaint filed by a Hindu man named Ajay Raigar (22), on the afternoon of 4 January 2026, Sitaram Bairwa and other persons from the Christian community were conducting prayer gatherings in a house in Ambedkar Basti. The Christian missionaries were brainwashing members of the Bairwa Hindu community to convert to Christianity by offering them money and free education. The missionaries also made derogatory remarks against Hindu gods and goddesses to further manipulate the Hindu community towards conversion. When the complainant received information about such illegal conversion activities, he reached the site, along with the workers of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal. He found men, women and children of the Hindu community gathered in the house's courtyard and were brainwashed for conversion. When he raised objections, the perpetrators abused him and threatened to file false cases against him. Subsequently, Ajay Rajgar, son of Dharmendra Raigar, and a resident of Raigar Mohalla, submitted a complaint at Kotwali police station. On the basis of this complaint, the police registered an FIR against two people, including Sitaram Bairwa, under Sections 3 and 4 of the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act and initiated an investigation into the incident. Subsequently, the accused, in retaliation, also filed a count complaint, claiming that they had been holding satsang meetings for nearly two decades and on 4 January 2026, members associated with Bajrang Dal and the RSS had entered their homes, attempted to break gates, intimidated women and used caste-based insults. The Kotwali police stated that complaints from both sides were taken on record, peace arrangements were enforced in the area, and further legal action was to follow based on the findings of the ongoing investigation.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of - Predatory Proselytisation. Within it, the subcategory selected 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 selected here 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. The other sub-category selected is - Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. Under this, the tertiary category selected is: Pattern of targeting Hindus and Conversion of minor. 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. This case has been added to the tracker because Dalit Hindu villagers were targeted and offered inducements under the guise of a prayer meeting by Christian missionaries. Firstly, Hindu villages were brainwashed for religious conversion under the guise of a prayer gathering or a satsang. What was presented as a simple prayer gathering inside a house was in reality a covert attempt at religious conversion. These were not genuine community prayers but calculated efforts to exploit the trust of Hindus and manipulate them into abandoning their faith. By conducting such gatherings, the Christian missionaries sought to manipulate vulnerable Hindus, taking advantage of their emotional and social circumstances to push them towards conversion. Secondly, the missionaries offered various inducements, including free education and money, to lure Hindus for conversion. Offering incentives or making false promises, especially when directed at vulnerable individuals in need, shows that these incentives are not acts of kindness or charity. Instead, they are calculated moves to exploit vulnerable Hindus because of their religion. By providing inducements in exchange for conversion, the accused were effectively blackmailing those who might have been desperate for assistance or hope. Such instances are seen in many cases where members of Christian missionary groups target socially and economically vulnerable Hindus to further their agenda of religious conversions. This form of coercion strips people of their agency and dignity and results in coerced conversions. These are not random or isolated incidents, but rather cases deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims. Thirdly, the missionaries also abused Hindu deities and made derogatory remarks against Hindu gods and goddesses. This goes beyond religious debate or proselytisation; it constitutes an act of incitement and insult directed at the core beliefs of the Hindu community. Such remarks are designed to demean and undermine the faith of Hindus and intend to create an inferiority complex in the minds of the victims against their own faith. This fosters an environment of hostility and disrespect towards the Hindu community and Hindu deities. These acts of insulting Hinduism stem from Christian theology, which harbours disdain and hatred for polytheistic faiths, and which categorises Hindus as ‘polytheists’, thereby fostering hatred against them. Such actions make the religiously motivated nature of the crime even more evident. Fourth, the complainant revealed that children were also present in the prayer gathering. Thus, some of the victims targeted for conversion were minors, which means the element of consent and genuine change of conscience was missing ab initio. Minors, due to their young age and lack of maturity, are particularly vulnerable to manipulation and coercion. They may not have the ability to fully understand the implications of converting to another religion, and the Christian perpetrator purposely targeted and exploited this vulnerability of the victim. Since this case exemplifies the use of coercion and manipulation to achieve religious conversion, it is a blatant act of religious hate, which is why it has been documented here in the hate tracker. Such acts are not merely criminal in nature; they are ideologically charged, revealing religious prejudice and a calculated intent to alter the religious identity of a minor without their volition. Fifth, the accused themselves claimed that they were carrying out these prayer meetings/satsangs for nearly two decades. Thus, the nature of the conversion efforts and the wider impact on the Hindu community all indicate a targeted action against Hindus as a collectivity. When individuals or groups focus their efforts on converting members of a particular religion, in this case, Hindus, then it demonstrates a fundamental disregard for the Hindu faith. Conversion, especially when not based on personal conviction but rather on external persuasion or pressure, is not simply about sharing a different belief system. It is an attempt to undermine the values, traditions, and identity of the Hindu community. In this context, the Christian perpetrators specifically targeted Hindus, which demonstrates a lack of respect for Hinduism and its followers. Such actions are carried out to strip Hindu victims of their faith, making it a religiously motivated crime. Sixth, when the complainant protested against the conversion activities, he was abused and subjected to threats of false cases. This response demonstrates an attempt to silence opposition through intimidation and verbal abuse. Such conduct reflects coercion extending beyond inducements and into active harassment, reinforcing that the conversion activities were not voluntary or benign in nature. Instead of engaging in dialogue or ceasing the activities, the perpetrators sought to suppress dissent through fear of legal consequences, thereby creating an atmosphere where Hindus were discouraged from defending their religious identity. This intimidation further establishes the hostile and coercive environment in which the conversion efforts were carried out, strengthening the religiously motivated character of the offence. The Christian faith, by its very theological foundations, places a strong emphasis on proselytisation. In pursuit of conversion objectives, Christian evangelists often employ unethical means, ranging from psychological pressure and misinformation to inducements such as money or jobs. This systematic attempt to erode the religious foundation of individuals and replace it with allegiance to another faith reflects deep religious malice and animus against the Hindu identity. Because the core motivation of the act stems from hostility toward the victim’s religion, it meets the threshold of a hate crime. Hence, categorised as a hate crime in the database.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
