'If you alone become a Christian you will get Rs 50000, if the whole family converts then the house will be free': Pastor of a Church lures a minor Hindu to convert to Christianity
Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
9 September, 2023
Case Summary
In Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, a minor Hindu was being lured to convert inside a church. As soon as information about the matter was received, Bajrang Dal workers created a ruckus outside the church. Police reached the spot and controlled the situation. Both parties filed complaints against each other at the police station. The incident took place on 10 September 2023. The matter is of Swarupnagar police station area of Kanpur Nagar district. On Sunday, a 17-year-old minor lodged a complaint in which he stated that a few days ago he was lured from a church to become a Christian. This lure was given by church priest Anand Daniel. Daniel lured the minor with Rs 50,000 if he became a Christian. Along with this, it was said that if the entire family converts, they will be given a house. It is also stated at the end of the complaint that despite the victim's repeated refusal, Anand Daniel was continuously pressuring her. OpIndia has the complaint copy. On receiving information about the incident, Bajrang Dal officials reached outside the church. They started demanding the arrest of the accused priest. Bajrang Dal official Krishna Tiwari, while talking to OpIndia, said that objectionable literature has been recovered inside the church. Tiwari has also accused some senior officials of giving protection to the priest. According to Tiwari, accused Anand Daniel had come from some part of South India in the year 2008. Then he gradually converted a house into a church. Krishna Tiwari said that when he looked at the church register, the names of many Hindus who had come for prayers were recorded in it. Accusing the church and the clergy of being involved in illegal conversion, Tiwari also appealed to the people for cooperation in demanding action. On this complaint, senior officials of Kanpur Nagar Police instructed SHO Swaroop Nagar to investigate and take necessary action. According to ACP, both parties filed complaints against each other. No arrest was made in the case. An FIR was registered against the accused priest under Section 3/5 (1) of Uttar Pradesh Unlawful Religious Conversion.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
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. In this specific case, it is evident from the details that the Hindu victim was a minor which essentially means that the element of consent and genuine change of conscience was missing ab initio. Also, the victim belonged to the economically weaker section of the society. The pastors were attempting to convert him by offering him the inducement of money and a home, which clearly means that the Christian evangelist was attempting to exploit a specific vulnerability of the victim. Since exploiting vulnerabilities for the explicit purpose of conversion is purely based on animosity towards the victim's faith, this case has been categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 1
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 1
Age Group
- Minor 1
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
