Hindu residents brainwashed against Hinduism; Bibles distributed to facilitate religious conversion
Vadodara, Gujarat, India 
17 June, 2025
Case Summary
In Janod Nagar, situated along the new VIP Road in Vadodara city, Gujarat, Hindus were brainwashed and manipulated to convert to Christianity by two Christian women. One was a local Gujarati-speaking woman, while the other was a foreigner. News reports suggest that the two women were distributing Bibles by going door to door in Hindu households. They told residents, “You are sad because you do not believe in Yahweh (God) and do not love him.” The women also stated that worshipping the Christian God would solve all life’s problems. In this way, they sought to persuade Hindus to abandon their faith and adopt Christianity. The local Hindu residents informed the RSS and other Hindu groups, who subsequently arrived at the scene and confronted the women about their proselytisation activities. Following this confrontation, the women left the area. A video of the incident circulated widely on the internet. In the footage, a Hindu man is heard telling the women, “You follow your religion. We have no issue, but let others follow theirs.” Further, when he asked where they were from, the women replied that they were from Nadiad. The man questioned them further, asking, “Why are you here from Nadiad? Who has given you the right to convert people?” One of the Christian women claimed that they were not converting people, but the local Hindu residents stated that the women had in fact attempted to do so. As per reports, no police action took place regarding this incident.
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. This incident in Janod Nagar, Vadodara, is a religiously motivated hate crime. The act of two Christian women, one local and one foreign, going door to door in a predominantly Hindu neighbourhood, distributing Bibles and telling residents that their life problems stem from not worshipping Jesus is a clear demonstration of Christians using manipulation and brainwashing methods as a tool to convert Hindus to Christianity. This act is an attempt to undermine the religious beliefs and practices of Hindus. Such actions are seen as an effort to persuade Hindus to abandon their faith, which is integral to their identity, and to adopt Christianity instead. These activities constitute a form of psychological pressure. What the Christian evangelists were trying to do here is extoll their faith by promoting Jesus as the true deity and disparaging Hinduism to instil doubt and insecurity among Hindus about their own faith. This approach is an implicit rejection of Hindu traditions, customs, and the pluralistic ethos that Hindus value. To manipulate Hindus into believing that converting to another religion or believing in the god of another religion is necessary to find happiness or solutions to life’s challenges is seen as disrespectful to Hindu beliefs and practices. This act of manipulation and brainwashing to convert, coupled with the public nature of the incident, including the distribution of religious materials and direct engagement with local Hindu residents, heightened sensitivities and led to feelings of vulnerability among Hindus in the area. The confrontation by local Hindu groups reflects the deep anxiety within the Hindu community about the security of their faith and the potential erosion of their cultural heritage. The incident is therefore not just an isolated act of persuasion, but as a manifestation of broader tensions over religious identity and the right to practise one’s faith without external pressure or manipulation. Since the Christian women were distributing Bibles to the vulnerable Hindus, it demonstrates that the incident was not an isolated random incident, but rather a premeditated effort to undermine the religious identity of Hindu residents. Such actions are often carried out by members of Christian missionary groups, who harbour deep disdain and religious animosity towards Hindus and their religion. Since this case stems from entrenched religious hostility towards Hindus, therefore, it is being added to the hate crime database.
Case Status
Complaint not filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
female
Sources 
