Hindu woman faces forced conversion attempts under the false pretext of help in Chhattisgarh’s Durg district

Case ID : d32748a | Location : Durg, Chhattisgarh, India | Date of Incident : Sat, 24 January, 2026

Case ID : d32748a

Durg, Chhattisgarh, India

24 January, 2026

Hindu woman faces forced conversion attempts under the false pretext of help in Chhattisgarh’s Durg district

Predatory Proselytisation

Conversion/ attempts to convert by inducement

Case Summary

In the Durg district of Chhattisgarh, a poor Hindu woman named Rukhmani Pandey became the victim of forced religious pressure and inducement by two women who approached her under the false pretext of helping her family. Rukhmani earned her living through domestic work and struggled daily to support her household with honesty and dignity. On 25 January 2026, the two accused came to her home and offered financial assistance, medical relief, and support for her daughter’s marriage, clearly stating that these benefits would be given only if she accepted Christianity. When Rukhmani firmly refused and expressed her faith in her own religion, the women returned again and intensified their pressure. They repeatedly visited her house, asked her to read the Bible, and insisted that she attend prayer gatherings. They continued to link every promise of help with religious conversion, causing deep mental stress and emotional discomfort to her and her family. Their actions showed complete disregard for her personal beliefs and cultural values. Refusing to surrender to fear, temptation, or humiliation, Rukhmani displayed remarkable courage and self-respect by approaching the Old Bhilai police station and submitting a written complaint. After verifying the facts, the police registered a case under the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act and relevant legal sections. The two women were arrested for forcing and misleading her into changing her religion.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the primary category 'Predatory Proselytisation' under the sub-category ''Conversion/attempt 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 qualifies as a hate crime because it deliberately targeted a woman on the basis of her Hindu religious identity and sought to weaken her faith through calculated pressure and material temptation. The perpetrators did not approach the victim with genuine concern or humanitarian intent. They selected her because she belonged to the Hindu community and was economically vulnerable. Her financial struggles and family responsibilities were knowingly used as tools to exploit her situation and reduce her ability to resist. By linking essential support, such as medical help, financial assistance, and marriage support to religious conversion, the perpetrators attacked the victim’s freedom of belief and personal dignity. They turned basic human needs into bargaining instruments, making help conditional upon abandoning her faith. This directly violated her constitutional right to practice her religion freely and without interference. The case falls under the subcategory “Conversion by inducement” because clear material benefits were offered in exchange for changing religion. These promises were not symbolic or emotional but practical and life-affecting, designed to create dependency and obligation. This form of pressure is especially harmful when directed at individuals facing economic hardship. Repeated visits and continued persuasion created emotional distress and psychological pressure for the victim, and therefore, this case is added to 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.