Hindu woman pressured and harassed to convert to Christianity by Christian husband and mother-in-law
Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, India 
6 September, 2022
Case Summary
In Bhartiya Nagar, within the Civil Lines police station area of Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, a Hindu woman named Pooja Soni was pressured to convert to Christianity by her Christian husband and mother-in-law. The incident came to light when the victim arrived at the Civil Lines police station on the night of 7th September 2025, accompanied by her child and members of Hindu organisations. The woman stated that her husband, Durgesh Soni, and mother-in-law, Janaki Soni, forced her to convert to Christianity. She expressed that she firmly believed in Hinduism but had been harassed by her husband for the past two to three years to convert. She also said her husband forbade her from worshipping Hindu deities and compelled her to pray in a Christian manner. He claimed that her problems would be resolved through Christian prayers and forcibly took her to a church for these rituals. The woman lodged a formal complaint and sought action. Civil Lines TI Vijay Chaudhary confirmed that a case was registered based on the woman’s complaint. An investigation was underway, and legal action would follow according to the law.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes. Within this, the subcategory selected is- Forced conversion after marriage. In such cases, a non-Hindu man marries a Hindu woman, and the force/pressure to convert to Islam begins after marriage. In such cases, typically, two patterns emerge. First, when the relationship is consensual, and the religious identity of the perpetrator is known to the Hindu woman in the relationship. The marriage could be under the Special Marriages Act, where neither parties are required to convert their religion for the marriage to be considered legitimate. While the victim in such cases enters matrimony assuming that religious identity is not a barrier, the non-Hindu man starts to pressure the woman to convert to Islam after marriage. The second is when the woman gets into a marriage with the man pretending to share her faith. Later, when the truth is revealed, the man starts pressuring the woman to convert her religion and give up her religious identity. In both situations, there is application of force by the perpetrator, including the denial of the woman’s religious rights. Some of the means by which the woman is forced/pressured to convert include force-feeding beef, being forced to read the Kalma, being forced to wear a hijab, forced to undergo Halala, etc. There are several instances where, after marriage, the woman voluntarily converts to Islam. Such cases are often argued to be a result of religious brainwashing, however, for the purpose of documenting religiously motivated hate crimes, in the absence of the victim complaining of forced conversion, such cases do not form a part of the database. Another primary category selected in this case is- 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. Such cases where Hindu victims are harassed to convert to the perpetrator’s religion are rooted in animosity towards the victim’s religious identity and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. This case is a clear instance of an anti-Hindu hate crime. A Hindu woman was pressured to convert to Christianity by her Christian husband and mother-in-law, demonstrating clear religious hatred towards her Hindu identity. The fact that she was subjected to such pressure within her own family highlights targeted hostility specifically directed at her faith. Forcing a person to abandon their Hindu beliefs and convert to Christianity is a serious violation of their religious autonomy and fundamental rights. Such coercive behaviour is a hate crime because it reveals deep-seated animosity towards Hinduism and the Hindu community. The perpetrators did not merely disagree with her beliefs; they sought to erase her religious identity by forcing conversion. The woman faced harassment for two to three years for refusing to convert. She was forbidden from worshipping Hindu idols and deities, compelled to perform Christian prayers, and told that her problems would be solved only if she converted. She was also taken to church and made to participate in Christian rituals against her will. This ongoing harassment was due to her Hindu faith, making the crime religiously motivated, aiming to undermine her identity and freedom. Such actions are committed with the intent to completely strip the victim of her Hindu faith, making it a crime motivated by religious animosity. Such cases of forcible conversion stem from doctrines in Abrahamic faiths where non-adherents are viewed with contempt unless they convert. This doctrinal animosity underpins this incident, reinforcing its classification as a hate crime. Accordingly, this case has been added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: It should be noted that media reports do not specify when the victim's ordeal first began. The Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents based on when the victim's ordeal began rather than when it is reported by the media. Since the complaint was filed on 7th September 2025 and the woman stated the harassment lasted around two to three years, the Tracker is using 7th September 2022 as an indicative date for when the crime began.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 1
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 1
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
