Hindus lured and converted to Christianity, claiming conversion cures cancer
Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, India 
9 July, 2023
Case Summary
Ten individuals, including a pastor, have been arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district for their alleged involvement in unlawful religious conversion, according to the police. Deputy Superintendent of Police Rahul Pandey stated that Pastor Baburam was accused of attempting to convert impoverished villagers to Christianity in Siddha Purwa village by enticing them with false promises. He was reportedly assisted by several others in carrying out these activities. The arrests were made following the registration of a case against 19 individuals under charges related to illegal conversion. The DSP further added that efforts are currently underway to apprehend the remaining accused. It was said that Baburam and his wife sought to lure villagers into converting by claiming they could heal various ailments, including serious conditions such as cancer.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of Predatory proselytisation. Under this, the first 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 second sub-category selected here is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. The tertiary category selected under this 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. In this case, the Christian extremists were offering miracle cures to vulnerable individuals in an attempt to disenfranchise them from their professed faith and convert them to Christianity. Luring people to convert to a different faith by offering money and inducements such as miracle cures for ailments is predatory in nature since the extremists manipulate the specific vulnerabilities of the disadvantaged and the poor to manipulate them into conversion. This stems from inherent hostility towards the victim's professed faith since Abrahamic faiths believe that any non-adherent to the faith is subject to being dehumanised till they convert. Since such predatory actions stem from doctrinal animosity towards the victim's faith, this case is being documented as a religiously motivated hate crime.
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 10 to 100
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
