Hindu beliefs insulted during conversion attempt in Karnataka; missionaries arrested for targeting Hindu community through inducements
Chitradurga, Karnataka, India 
18 June, 2025
Case Summary
In Chitradurga, Karnataka, two Christian missionaries were attempting to convert people to Christianity by offering inducements. The accused were making offensive remarks against Hindu beliefs. They were arrested by the police. The complaint was filed by Deepak Raj. He said that the accused were conducting unauthorised religious meetings at a private residence in Prashant Nagar and actively persuading attendees to change their faith. Acting upon the complaint, the city police conducted a raid on the premises and arrested the two accused, identified as Dhananjaya (35) and Joshua Israel (20). A case was registered at the Chitradurga City Police Station in connection with the incident. According to the complainant, the individuals were holding regular gatherings at the residence in question, during which derogatory remarks were made concerning Hindu beliefs and practices. These remarks were made in the context of promoting conversion, causing distress to members of the local Hindu community. At the time of writing this report, the investigation was underway.
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 - 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. The other sub-category relevant 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 other sub-category selected is - Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. Within it, the tertiary category selected is - Pattern of targeting Hindus. 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 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 proselytization, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. The incident in Chitradurga, Karnataka, in which two Christian missionaries were arrested for attempting to convert Hindus through inducements, constitutes a religiously motivated hate crime. Such actions exploit the economic or social vulnerabilities of individuals and aim to systematically detach them from their religious identity. When conversion efforts are driven not by personal conviction but by financial or material enticements, they constitute a form of coercive exploitation, where the Hindu identity of the individual is directly targeted. This aligns with the definition of conversion by inducement, which is rooted in religious bias and hence falls squarely within the ambit of hate crimes. It has been reported that during unauthorised religious meetings, the accused made offensive and derogatory remarks about Hindu beliefs and practices as a part of their conversion agenda. Such efforts to demean another faith while simultaneously promoting one's own religious beliefs reflect an underlying animosity and disrespect towards Hinduism. The denigration of Hindu traditions in order to persuade individuals to convert is not merely religious discourse—it is a targeted attack on the Hindu faith, its legitimacy, and the dignity of its adherents. Therefore, the incident is documented in the hate crime database. The accused held repeated unauthorised religious meetings aimed specifically at persuading Hindus to convert, using manipulation and derogatory remarks about Hindu beliefs. This consistent effort to undermine Hindu faith through ongoing sessions indicates a systematic and targeted approach to erode the religious identity of local Hindus, making it a case of predatory proselytisation driven by religious animosity, and therefore a religiously motivated hate crime. Disclaimer: It is important to clarify that the report does not specify the exact date when the incident happened. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date based on when the incident was reported in the media.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
