Hindus offered inducements, subjected to denigration of their deities and manipulated with religious texts for Christian conversion
Rohtas, Bihar, India 
11 January, 2026
Case Summary
In the Kochas town of Rohtas district, Bihar, Hindu villagers were targeted, manipulated with religious texts and offered inducements for religious conversion by a Christian pastor. The pastor also denigrated Hindu deities in order to push people towards conversion. According to reports, large-scale illegal religious conversion drives took place along the embankment of the Dharmavati River, where hundreds of Hindus were converted to Christianity. Hindu villagers were deceived into conversion under the pretext of exorcism, faith healing and promises of economic prosperity. On 12 January 2026, dozens of Hindu men and women were openly converted during a camp held at the site, with several Hindu families made to accept Christianity by entering the river for ritual conversion. It was reported that, for nearly three years, a Christian pastor regularly organised prayer gatherings on Sundays and Thursdays near the Dharmavati river bridge along National Highway 319, targeting Hindu villagers, primarily Dalit communities. They were manipulated for conversion by assurances of cures for serious illnesses, relief from supposed spirit possession, elimination of poverty and the attainment of material well-being through prayers in the name of Jesus Christ. Hindu villagers, including Roshan Kumar, Santosh Kumar, Vishal Kumar and Dashrath Ram, stated that the pastor specifically targeted economically vulnerable, less-educated villagers, as well as Mahadalit settlements, where programmes were organised featuring Christian songs, videos and sermons glorifying Jesus. Religious books and small gifts were also distributed to attendees, followed by larger events staged to demonstrate supposed miracles. During these gatherings, Hindu deities were insulted using abusive language, and sustained efforts were made to generate hostility towards Hindu beliefs. The conversion activities were conducted repeatedly without administrative permission, drawing large crowds every week. Local residents objected to the open conversions and informed the police about the incident. The Station House Officer of Kochas police station, Nitish Kumar, confirmed that information was received regarding tents and prayer gatherings at the river site; however, he claimed that no prior notice of religious conversions had been reported to the administration.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been documented under the selected primary category: Predatory proselytisation. Under this, the selected secondary category 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 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, and subtle indoctrination. Under this, the selected tertiary categories are: Pattern of targeting Hindus. 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 proselytization, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. This case has been added to the tracker because Hindu villagers were targeted, manipulated with religious texts and offered inducements for religious conversion by a Christian pastor. Firstly, the conversion activity relied heavily on inducement-based coercion. Hindu villagers were drawn into prayer gatherings with assurances of cures for serious illnesses, relief from supposed spirit possession, elimination of poverty and promises of economic prosperity. 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 or promising healing 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. Secondly, Hindu villagers revealed that during such gatherings, Hindu deities were insulted using abusive language, and sustained efforts were made to generate hostility towards Hindu beliefs. 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. Thirdly, religious literature and materials were distributed during these events, reinforcing the conversion objective. Using the scriptures or literature of one faith to deliberately target and manipulate members of another, with the clear intention of religious conversion, represents a direct attack on the Hindu faith. Such actions are designed to violate and undermine the beliefs of Hindu victims and are clear indicators of religious hostility towards Hindus and their religious identity. Such actions further demonstrate that this was not an isolated incident of evangelism, but rather part of a broader, organised operation to further religious conversion. Fourth, what was presented as a simple prayer gathering 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. The pastor held the meeting without permission from the administration, indicating a deliberate and deceptive strategy designed to avoid public attention and scrutiny. By conducting such gatherings covertly, the Christian missionaries sought to manipulate vulnerable Hindus, taking advantage of their emotional and social circumstances to push them towards conversion. The Changai Sabha format, often described publicly as a faith healing gathering, is a well-recognised tool in organised Christian proselytisation networks. These meetings usually employ songs, testimonies and emotionally charged prayer sessions to influence and induce vulnerable individuals without openly declaring the underlying objective. The absence of transparency is itself central to the method. People attend believing they are seeking comfort, healing or spiritual support, only to be gradually drawn into teachings that undermine their own religious identity and introduce them to the Christian framework presented as the only path to relief. 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. 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. These tactics are designed not as acts of charity but as tools to engineer religious change under the guise of social upliftment, particularly among vulnerable and underprivileged communities. 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. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents based on when an event occurred or when the victim's ordeal began. It is important to clarify that none of the media sources covering this case has specified the exact date when the conversion activities began, though it is stated that the conversion activities began three years ago. Thus, to document this case, we have used an indicative date, 15 January 2023, as a placeholder to represent the beginning of conversion activities, though the media reported this incident on 15 January 2026.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
