Hindu villagers targeted and offered inducements for religious conversion by Christian missionaries in Banka, Bihar
Banka, Bihar, India 
13 January, 2026
Case Summary
In the Banka district, Bihar, Hindu villagers were targeted and offered inducements for religious conversion by Christian missionaries. According to reports, Hindu villagers, including tribal Hindus, were targeted for conversion in Baunsi, Katoria, Belhar and surrounding areas of Bihar. In these areas, organised missionary activity had operated with significant financial backing and multiple teams targeting Hindu communities for conversion. The missionaries lured people into conversion by offering them inducements. Furthermore, these missionaries raised large sums of money in order to convert people. Subsequently, a four-day Mahakumbh of the All-India Sanatan Santal Samaj was held at Parvat Pahad under the leadership of Gurumata Rekha Hembram. The gathering, marked by religious chants and collective pledges to protect Sanatan Dharma, became the site where those Hindu villagers, who were previously brainwashed and converted to Christianity, returned to Hinduism. Social workers present acknowledged the return as part of a continuing trend, noting that earlier religious events such as the Maharudha Yagna in Baunsi had similarly seen large numbers of tribals return to Sanatan Dharma after prior conversions conducted under inducement and faith-healing narratives.
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. This case was added to the tracker because Hindu villagers, including members of the tribal community, were deliberately targeted, subjected to religious manipulation, and offered inducements for conversion by Christian missionaries operating in the Banka district of Bihar. The conversion activity in this case relied heavily on inducement-based coercion and faith-healing narratives. Hindu villagers were drawn into prayer meetings and church gatherings with assurances of cures for serious illnesses, relief from paralysis and other medical conditions, protection from supposed spirit possession, and promises of improved economic conditions. 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. 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 the report does not specify the exact date when the conversion activities began. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date based on when the incident was reported in the media, 14 January 2025.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
