Hindu man targeted and offered inducements for religious conversion by Christian man, under guise of prayer meeting

Case ID : d327398 | Location : Raisen, Madhya Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Sun, 25 January, 2026

Case ID : d327398

Raisen, Madhya Pradesh, India

25 January, 2026

Hindu man targeted and offered inducements for religious conversion by Christian man, under guise of prayer meeting

Predatory Proselytisation

Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination

Conversion/ attempts to convert by inducement

Case Summary

In the Satlapur village of Raisen district, a Hindu man named Anil Solanki was targeted and offered inducements for religious conversion by Christian missionaries, under the guise of a prayer meeting. According to reports, a prayer meeting took place at the residence of Jam Singh Kanas at around 10 p.m. on 26 January 2026, where a large number of Hindu villagers were present at the gathering. When Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) workers received information about the prayer gathering, they reached the spot and objected to the meeting, stating that inducements were being used to influence Hindu villagers to convert. Meanwhile, the Hindu man, Anil Solanki, stated that he was brought to the prayer meeting with a bribe of one lakh rupees. He also revealed that others present in the meeting were told they would receive cures for illnesses, healing of bones, and assistance in having children. During the protest, VHP workers found religious literature at the premises, which was subsequently confiscated. Following the protest, Satlapur police arrived, brought the situation under control, and took several individuals, including Jam Singh Kanas, to the police station for questioning. Additional police personnel were deployed in the area due to heightened tension. Police stated that further action would be taken after completion of the investigation.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. Within this, the subcategory selected 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. The other sub-category selected here 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 has been added to the tracker because Anil Solanki was targeted and offered inducements for religious conversion by Christian missionaries, under the guise of a prayer meeting. Firstly, the Hindu man, including other villagers, was lured for conversion under the guise of a prayer meeting. 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, those present at the meeting were promised cures for illnesses, healing of bones, and assistance in having children. The structure and messaging of the gathering reflected the Changai Sabha model, a format commonly used in organised Christian proselytisation, where faith-healing narratives, emotionally charged prayers, and testimonies are deployed to influence vulnerable individuals. These methods deliberately appeal to emotional distress and personal hardship, drawing participants into religious instruction without openly disclosing the underlying objective of conversion. Individuals attend seeking relief or support, only to be gradually exposed to messaging that undermines their existing religious identity Thirdly, VHP workers revealed that inducements were offered to facilitate 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 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 Fourth, Christian religious literature was also used at the gathering to influence Hindu participants. 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. When Christian religious material is used to exploit trust, sow doubt, and misrepresent the beliefs of Hindus to coerce conversion, particularly in a systematic manner, it constitutes a religiously motivated 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. Taken together, the targeting of Hindus, the use of inducements and faith-healing promises, the lack of transparency regarding the meeting’s purpose, and the deployment of religious literature establish a pattern of coercive proselytisation. 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: This tracker acknowledges that multiple Hindu villagers were targeted and lured for religious conversion during the incident. However, since only one victim, Anil Solanki, is explicitly identified by name in available reports, the victim has been recorded as one.