Hindu villagers targeted for religious conversion under the pretext of spiritual healing; money collected by Christian missionaries in West Champaran, Bihar
Pashchim Champaran, Bihar, India 
8 January, 2026
Case Summary
Hindu villagers faced attempts at forced religious conversion by a Christian mission group operating from a Church. The group approached residents in Bhitaha block, West Champaran district, Bihar, near the Bihar–Uttar Pradesh border, offering spiritual services and healing rituals, locally referred to as jhad‑phoonk, while encouraging them to adopt Christianity. The mission group collected money from participants during these sessions. The villagers, particularly women, experienced pressure to accept Christianity through these spiritual sessions. The activities created tension and unease across multiple villages as Hindu residents feared that their religion and cultural practices were being undermined. Hindu organisations, including the Rashtriya Bajrang Dal, responded by staging demonstrations and visiting the Circle Officer. They also submitted a written memorandum demanding that action be taken against the individuals conducting the conversion activities. The protests reflected that the villagers and Hindu community leaders recognised the activities as directly threatening their religion and cultural traditions. Villagers expressed concern over the methods used by the mission group. They stated that the combination of spiritual rituals, healing practices, and monetary collection created a structured approach aimed at influencing Hindu residents. Women were particularly affected, and the sessions disrupted social harmony and created anxiety among families in the villages. No official police action or legal measures were reported at the time of the incident. All details in this report are based on the documented accounts provided by Hindu organisations and local protests.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been documented under the selected primary category: Predatory proselytisation. Under this, the selected secondary category 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 the 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 proselytisation, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. This case is classified as a religiously motivated hate crime due to the following observations: Firstly, Hindu villagers in Bhitaha block, West Champaran district, Bihar, were targeted because of their religion. The Christian mission group operating from a Church approached individuals, particularly Hindu women, with the specific aim of encouraging them to adopt Christianity. Targeting individuals solely based on their religious identity established a clear religious motivation. Secondly, the methods used demonstrated deliberate coercion and exploitation. The Christian mission group conducted spiritual services and healing rituals, locally referred to as jhad‑phoonk, and collected money from participants while encouraging them to convert. The actions deliberately exploited the trust and vulnerabilities of Hindu residents, showing an intent to manipulate them into abandoning their faith. The structured approach reflected careful planning and targeted execution based on religion. Thirdly, the Hindu community recognised the religious targeting and responded formally. Hindu organisations, including the Rashtriya Bajrang Dal, staged demonstrations, visited the Circle Officer, and submitted written memoranda demanding action against those conducting the conversion activities. The organised response confirmed that the acts were understood as directly threatening their religion and beliefs. Fourthly, the social and psychological impact intensified the hate dimension. The conversion activities created tension and unease across multiple villages. Hindu residents experienced fear that their religion, traditions, and cultural practices were under threat. Being subjected to pressure and intimidation because of faith caused social and psychological harm, which is a defining characteristic of hate crimes. Fifthly, the intent and method revealed targeted hostility. The use of spiritual rituals and monetary collection under the guise of healing was a deliberate strategy to influence Hindu villagers to convert. The acts were specifically directed at changing the religious identity of the victims. This deliberate targeting confirmed religion as the primary motivation behind the actions. Taken together, these factors demonstrate that the events in Bhitaha constituted a religiously motivated hate crime, as Hindu villagers were intimidated, coerced, and pressured to abandon their faith, causing social, psychological, and cultural harm. It is thus, added to the tracker.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
