Hindu man and friends lured and targeted for conversion by Christian missionaries; offered inducements and false promises of healing
Bhatgaon, Chhattisgarh, India 
1 September, 2025
Case Summary
In Bundia village of Surajpur district, Chhattisgarh, a Hindu man named Ramanand and his two friends were lured for religious conversion under the guise of a healing meeting by Christian missionaries. According to reports, the Hindu man was invited to a healing meeting held at Mangal Toppo's house, where he went along with two of his friends. During the meeting, a pastor, along with four other Christian missionaries, promised to cure his illness. Missionaries also offered them inducements and attempted to convert the victim and his friends, to Christianity. Christian religious literature was found at the house, and it was further reported that the missionaries had targeted and converted other Hindu villagers in a similar way. Acting swiftly on the complaint, the police reached the house and arrested five individuals who were conducting these illegal conversion activities. They were charged under provisions related to religious conversion and were sent to jail.
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- Conversion/attempts to convert by inducements. 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 subcategory selected in this case is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. 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. This case has been added to the tracker because a Hindu man, along with his friends, was lured and offered inducements for religious conversion by Christian missionaries. Offering incentives or making false promises of healing, especially when directed at vulnerable individuals in need, was not an act of kindness or charity but a calculated move to exploit Hindus because of their religion. By providing inducements or promising healing in exchange for conversion, the accused were effectively blackmailing those who were in desperate need of 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 conversions. 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. It was also reported that Christian religious literature was present in the house, and the missionaries had also targeted and converted other Hindu villagers in a similar manner. This pointed to the structured nature and scale of their conversion activities. It further demonstrates that the perpetrators were indoctrinating the Hindu victims by using Christian religious texts and literature. Using the scriptures or literature of one faith to deliberately target and manipulate members of another, with the clear intention of religious conversion, represents a direct attack on the Hindu faith. Such actions were designed to violate and undermine the beliefs of Hindu victims and are clear indicators of religious hostility towards Hindus and their religious identity. The Christian faith, by its very theological foundations, places a strong emphasis on proselytisation. In pursuit of conversion objectives, Christian evangelists often employ unethical means, ranging from false healing promises and misinformation to inducements such as money or jobs. In such cases, Christian missionary groups often target and brainwash socially and economically vulnerable Hindus to further their agenda of religious conversions. This form of coercion strips Hindus of their agency and dignity and enforces forced conversions. These are not random or isolated incidents, but rather premeditated efforts to undermine the Hindu faith, persuade Hindus to discard their own faith, and convert to Christianity. Such acts were deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims, and thus, this case was added to the tracker. Disclaimer - The Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents based on when the victim’s ordeal began. However, in this case, the report does not provide specific details regarding when the healing meeting took place or since when conversion activities were going on. Therefore, for documentation purposes, the date of the incident has been recorded as the date it was reported in the media - September 2, 2025.
Victim Details
Total Victim
3
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 1
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 2
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 3
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 2
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
