Hindu residents targeted and offered inducements for religious conversion by Christian evangelists in Gurugram, Haryana
Gurgaon, Haryana, India 
19 February, 2026
Case Summary
In the Chungi No. 1 area of Sohna town in Sohna, Gurugram district, Haryana, Hindu residents were targeted and offered inducements for religious conversion by two Christian individuals, named Tarun and Jyoti. According to reports, communal tensions escalated after Hindu residents objected to a prayer meeting being conducted at a private residence near Toll No. 1 on 20 February 2026. A large number of Hindu villagers gathered at the spot after receiving information about a prayer meeting. It was revealed that Hindu residents, particularly women, were being offered inducements in exchange for converting to Christianity. The situation escalated into a ruckus, with locals demanding that the meeting be stopped immediately and warning that no outsiders would be permitted to enter the village to preach another faith or mislead residents. Several named residents, including Harinder and Harpal, stated that they sought to safeguard their traditional beliefs and cultural practices and insisted that such activities would not be tolerated within the community. The protest intensified as villagers approached the police to file a written complaint regarding religious conversions purportedly taking place under the guise of prayer meetings at the residence of a ward member identified as Munni. Two Christian individuals, Jyoti and Tarun from Sunped village in Ballabhgarh, were involved in organising these gatherings and facilitating conversions. Villagers stated that multiple women had already been converted through such meetings. Meanwhile, Tarun claimed that he had only organised a prayer meeting and had not converted anyone. Following the complaint, police officials reached the scene and began monitoring the area to maintain law and order. Additional Police Station Officer Sandeep confirmed that an investigation had been initiated and that the matter was under examination.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. Within it, the sub-category 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 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 Hindu residents of Chungi No. 1 in Sohna were offered inducements for religious conversion under the guise of a prayer meeting. Two Christian individuals, Tarun and Jyoti, were identified as conducting the gathering and attempting to influence Hindu villagers, particularly women, to convert to Christianity. Firstly, what was presented as a prayer gathering is often a covert attempt at religious conversion. Such meetings are not genuine community prayers but structured efforts designed to exploit trust and familiarity in order to influence Hindus to abandon their faith. By disguising conversion activity as prayer meetings and organising it within a residential setting, the accused leveraged familiarity and social proximity to create an environment conducive to religious persuasion. Secondly, Hindu residents further stated that inducements were being offered to encourage 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 on the basis of religion. By providing inducements in exchange for conversion, the accused were effectively pressuring 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 conversion. 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 Christian faith, by its theological foundations, places a strong emphasis on proselytisation. In pursuit of conversion objectives, Christian evangelists often employ unethical means, ranging from prayer meetings and misinformation to inducements such as money, jobs, or claims of healing illnesses. Such tactics to enforce Christianity on Hindus highlight the religiously motivated nature of the act. Therefore, this case is being added to the hate crime database of the tracker. Disclaimer: The perpetrator count in this case has been recorded as three, namely Tarun, Jyoti, and Munni. While Tarun and Jyoti were identified as organising and conducting the prayer meeting during which inducement-based conversion activities were reported, Munni’s residence was used as the venue for the gathering. Since the premises were made available for the conduct of the meeting where the conversion-related activities took place, Munni has also been included in the perpetrator count for documentation purposes.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
both
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