Hindu woman coerced and assaulted for religious conversion by her Christian son; accused threw away idols of Hindu deities
Durg, Chhattisgarh, India 
15 February, 2026
Case Summary
In the Durg district of Chhattisgarh, a 52-year-old Hindu woman named Saroj Verma was pressured, threatened and assaulted for religious conversion by her Christian son named Hoshang Verma. The accused threw away idols of Hindu deities and also disrupted the ongoing religious worship The incident occurred in the Risali area under the Nevai police station limits in Durg district. According to the complaint filed on 16 February 2026, the Hindu woman, Saroj Verma, stated that her son, Hoshang Verma, had converted to Christianity and subsequently had pressured her to adopt the same faith. The accused was repeatedly coercing the victim to convert to Christianity, and when she refused, he verbally abused her, physically assaulted her and threatened to kill her. He also vandalised the household property, removed and threw away the Hindu idols kept in the home, and disrupted the ongoing religious worship. The victim reported that the intimidation and coercion were persistent and created an atmosphere of fear within the household. Following a preliminary inquiry, the police registered a case under Sections 298 and 299 of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 3 and 4 of the Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act, 1968. After gathering prima facie evidence, the Nevai police arrested Hoshang Verma within 24 hours of the complaint being filed and produced him before a court. As of the date of writing this report, the investigation was ongoing.
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- Harassment, threats, coercion for conversion. Harassment covers a wide range of behaviours of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behaviour that demeans, humiliates, and intimidates a person, including threats and coercion. Harassment and threats, in this case, find their root on discriminatory grounds, which has the effect of nullifying a person’s rights or infringing upon his freedom to exercise his right specifically owing to the victim’s religious identity. Verbal and physical threats and psychological or physical harassment are often used against Hindu victims because they choose to practice their professed religion. Religious harassment also includes forced and involuntary conversions by harassment, threats or coercion. Coercion includes intimidatory tactics like force-feeding a Hindu victim beef to convert to another religion, forceful circumcision etc. In several cases documented, non-Hindu perpetrators or those who harbour specific animosity towards Hinduism, harass victims simply based on their religious identity. Such cases often also include harassment to ensure the Hindu victim abandons his/her professed religion and adopts the religion of the perpetrator. The other subcategory 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 second primary category selected here is - Attack on Hindu religious representations. Within it, the sub-category selected is - Desecration of Hindu religious symbols. Icons and symbols or a religious representation of a spiritual ideal are widely revered in Hinduism. Iconography is of vital significance in the Hindu milieu. It helps connect people’s spiritual beliefs with the real world. Iconography within the Hindu faith takes several shapes and forms. Murtis are of most significance to Hindus, to which daily rituals, prayers and offerings are done. Besides the murtis, there are several other symbols which have deep significance in the Hindu faith – the Om and Swastika for example. Since these Hindu religious symbols hold paramount importance in Hinduism, any desecration of symbols, icons, murtis, religious representations and manifestations, is driven by animosity towards the faith itself which manifests itself through these murtis, icons and symbols. Therefore, any desecration of these Hindu religious symbols and representations is considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. The third primary category selected here is - Attack not resulting in death. Within it, the sub-category selected is - Attacked for refusal to convert. When there is pressure, threat or coercion employed upon the Hindu victim to convert to a different religion, in several cases, the victim refuses to succumb to the pressure/threats. Once the victim refuses, the perpetrator proceeds to attack/assault the victim owing to his/her refusal to convert. In such cases, the pressure/threat/intimidation/coercion/violence itself is driven by animosity towards the victim’s Hindu faith. The violence then is another hate crime driven by the victim’s refusal to abandon his professed faith, Hinduism, and convert to the religion of a non-Hindu perpetrator. Since the victim’s faith is at the heart of the pressure to convert and the ensuing violence towards the victim, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. This case has been added to the tracker because a Hindu woman was pressured, threatened and physically assaulted for religious conversion by her son, Hoshang Verma, after he converted to Christianity. Firstly, the accused attempted to force the Hindu victim to renounce her religion and convert to Christianity. Pressuring a Hindu individual to discard her religious faith and embrace another was a direct attack on her 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 reflects religious animosity because the act was not simply about personal differences but about erasing the victim’s Hindu faith, making it a religiously motivated crime Secondly, when the victim refused to convert, he verbally abused his mother, physically assaulted her and threatened to kill her. The violence occurred directly as a consequence of her refusal to abandon Hinduism, indicating that the assault functioned as punishment for resisting conversion. It was a deliberate attempt to punish and intimidate the victim for adhering to her religion and not converting. Attacking a Hindu individual just for refusing conversion showcases the intensity with which the accused was willing to go to enforce conversions, making it a religiously motivated offence. Thirdly, the accused also denigrated Hindu deities, threw away the Hindu idols kept in the home, and disrupted the ongoing religious worship. The deliberate desecration of the idols of the Hindu goddess reflected deep-seated hatred and hostility towards Hindu beliefs. Idols of Hindu deities are not ornamental objects but holy manifestations of the divine, venerated as integral to the daily worship and spiritual lives of Hindu believers. The intentional act of desecrating such an idol was a direct attack on the sanctity of the Hindu faith, making it a religiously motivated crime that infringed on the Hindu community’s religious and spiritual integrity. The disruption of ongoing religious worship further demonstrates an intent to suppress and undermine her religious practices. The destruction of sacred objects and interference with rituals reinforce the religious dimension of the offence. Taken together, the elements of forced conversion attempts, violence following refusal, and desecration of Hindu religious symbols establish a clear pattern of religiously motivated targeting. This systematic attempt to erode the religious foundation of individuals and replace it with allegiance to another faith reflects deep religious malice and animus against the Hindu identity. 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 accused began pressuring his mother to convert. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date based on when the FIR was filed, 16 February 2026.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 1
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 1
- Unknown 0
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
