Hindus targeted for conversion through cash inducements and miracle cures claims by Christian couple
Raisen, Madhya Pradesh, India 
25 January, 2026
Case Summary
In Raisen, Madhya Pradesh, Hindus were converted based on receiving monetary aid and promises of cures for childbirth complications by a Christian couple. The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) received a tip-off about a late-night prayer meeting taking place at a house in Mandideep. A Christian prayer meeting was held at Jam Singh Kanas's residence at around 10 pm on 26 January 2026. After receiving the information, activists of the Vishva Hindu Parishad reached the spot soon after. When VHP activists arrived, they found several Hindus attending the meeting. While some had come for the first time, others were added to groups to coerce them into converting to Christianity. Consequently, the VHP activists staged a protest at the site. Shortly thereafter, the activists informed the police about the illegal prayer meeting. They stated that Hindus were being targeted for religious conversion through inducements. One of the Hindu youths present at the spot, Anil Solanki, was offered Rs 1 lakh if he converted to Christianity. Feeling uneasy about the entire situation, he approached the police station and complained. The FIR was registered at Satlapur police station on the complaint of Anil Solanki, a resident of Mandideep, under sections 3 and 5 of the Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Act, 2021, against the accused Jam Singh Kanas, his wife Sundar Bai Kanas, and one unidentified person. According to the complainant, on the night of 26 January, his uncle Jam Singh Kanas took him to his house in Satlapur. Jam Singh’s wife, Sundar Bai Kanas and another unidentified person were present there. The three pressured him to convert to Christianity and promised him Rs 1 lakh in return. They assured him that Rs 25,000 would be paid as the first instalment, with the remaining amount to be paid later. The complainant further stated that he was asked to participate in prayers and read the Bible and was pressured to change his religion against his will. Feeling uncomfortable, he left the house and later informed his friends, including Prince Pathak, Brajesh Prajapati, Vivek Vishwakarma, Shubham Kevat, Kamlesh Rai, and Rohit Chouksey. He then approached the police station to complain. He further stated in the complaint that Hindus were being coerced to convert through inducements, pressure and monetary benefits, along with assurances that illnesses would be cured. The accused promised that converting to Christianity would resolve issues, including broken bones and complications in childbirth. After receiving the complaint, the police arrived at the scene. On the intervening night of 26 and 27 January, Raisen police raided the house. The incident took place in ward no 15, Mandideep, which falls under the Satlapur industrial area. Furthermore, those present at the prayer meeting were questioned. The organiser, Jam Singh Kanas, was taken to the police station for questioning. An additional police force was deployed in view of the tense atmosphere. Upon investigation, religious books were recovered from the spot and seized by the police. As reported in the media, VHP activists stated that they had been receiving information about conversion events being organised by the couple. Last year, the couple’s own son had firmly opposed the conversions, following which the events were halted for some time. However, the conversions had recently resumed. Further investigation into the matter was underway at the time of writing.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category selected is Predatory Proselytisation. The sub-category selected is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. Under this, the tertiary categories selected are: Victim says was brainwashed/groomed and a pattern of targeting Hindus. Religious brainwashing essentially means the often subtle and forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up their religious beliefs and 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 that 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. The other secondary category 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. This incident was included in the Hinduphobia tracker because it demonstrated a sustained and deliberate pattern in which Hindu villagers, particularly those who were innocent, economically weak, or socially vulnerable, were selectively approached and influenced through gatherings presented as prayer meetings. The first religious marker is that the activities were directed exclusively at Hindus, indicating that religious identity was the primary basis for selection rather than voluntary or neutral engagement. Moreover, the use of prayer meetings as a façade allowed gradual influence to be exerted in a manner that reduced resistance and normalised religious messaging over time. Pressuring a Hindu individual to discard his religious faith and embrace another constituted a direct attack on his religious identity and dignity. It was not a matter of personal choice; it was coercion rooted in hostility towards the victim’s Hindu identity. Such an attempt reflected religious animosity because the act was not simply about personal differences but about erasing the victim’s Hindu faith, thereby making it a religiously motivated crime. Similarly, other family members were also pressured for religious conversion by the accused. The exploitation of economic and social vulnerability further established the hate-driven nature of this case. The targeted Hindus were people with limited access to formal healthcare, education, and employment opportunities. Missionaries leveraged this deprivation by offering inducements such as promises of miraculous healing, financial assistance, and material benefits. In contexts of poverty and illness, such inducements did not represent free choice. Instead, they operated as pressure mechanisms that compelled individuals to balance their religious loyalty against their basic survival needs. Hindus were repeatedly lured into conversion on assurances of miraculous healing offered in the name of faith. Offering incentives or making false promises of healing, especially when directed at vulnerable individuals in need, showed that these actions were not acts of kindness or charity. Rather, they were calculated moves to exploit vulnerable Hindus because of their religion. By promising healing in exchange for conversion, the accused placed emotional and psychological pressure on families already in a state of desperation, effectively using illness and suffering as leverage to push conversion. This form of coercion stripped individuals of their agency and dignity and resulted in coerced conversions. These were not random or isolated incidents, but cases deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims. Furthermore, victims were forced to read the Bible and recite Christian prayers to convert. Using the scriptures or literature of one faith to deliberately target and manipulate members of another, with the clear intention of religious conversion, represented a direct attack on the Hindu faith. Such acts were not expressions of voluntary religious teaching but deliberate attempts to violate, undermine, and erode the faith of Hindu victims, including those who lacked the capacity to consent or resist. Therefore, this case is recorded in the tracker. 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 victim's ordeal began. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date based on when the incident was reported in the media, 26th January 2026.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
