Hindu children pressured, enticed with food and gifts, and brainwashed into adopting Christianity under the garb of 'offering prayers'

Case ID : ea34dd3 | Location : Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, India | Date of Incident : Thu, 1 May, 2025

Case ID : ea34dd3

Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, India

1 May, 2025

Hindu children pressured, enticed with food and gifts, and brainwashed into adopting Christianity under the garb of 'offering prayers'

Predatory Proselytisation

Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination

Conversion of minor

Pattern of targeting Hindus

Conversion/ attempts to convert by inducement

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save victim

Case Summary

In Uncha Velampatti, in Pollachi Taluk, Tamil Nadu, minor Hindu girls were induced to convert to Christianity by a government nurse and a pastor. Also, the mother of one of the victims was physically assaulted and threatened by the pastor when she opposed the conversion attempt. According to media reports, the accused have been identified as Bhavani, a government nurse, and Selvaraj alias Selvakumar, a Christian pastor. The minor Hindu children, who were students at a government school, were taken in a van to an illegal prayer hall on Udumalaipet Road and forced to kneel and pray to Jesus. The children were told, “Jesus is the only God who can save us from our sins.” Reports suggest that more than 20 children, mostly under the age of 11, had attended the meeting. The incident came to light after a Hindu woman named Punitavathi, the parent of a female student at the school, complained to the police. The complaint concerned an attempt to convert her 14-year-old daughter to Christianity by Bhavani and pastor Selvaraj. Bhavani had taken several girl students, including her daughter, to a nearby church where the children were made to recite Christian prayers. Punitavathi went to the church, where she had a verbal altercation with Pastor Selvaraj, who refused to let her enter. She was then physically assaulted and threatened with death by the pastor, who also refused to hand her daughter back to her. In her police complaint, Punitavathi stated: “I have two daughters. My younger daughter, S. Krithika, aged 14, is studying in Year 8 at Uncha Velampatti Government School. On 2 May, the school management informed parents that there would be a class for adolescent girls and that the Transfer Certificate (TC) would be issued after the session. We were asked to drop off our children at 9:30 am. As instructed, I dropped my daughter off at 9:30 am and returned at 10:30 am to collect her. However, I could not find my daughter. When I inquired, I was told that government nurse Bhavani had taken the girls in a van to a nearby church. I returned home, took my two-wheeler, and reached the prayer hall opposite the RTO office.” She further stated: “When I tried to enter the prayer hall, Pastor Selvaraj stopped me, which led to a heated argument. He said that if I went inside, other parents would follow and the prayer would be disrupted. The pastor hit me, pushed me to the ground, and threatened to kill me, demanding that I vacate the premises. I raised an alarm and insisted on taking my daughter back. They had taken my daughter without our knowledge and attempted to convert her to Christianity. I request the police to take action against the pastor and others involved in the kidnapping and forced conversion, including nurse Bhavani and the van driver, by registering a case under the appropriate sections.” According to The Commune report, Punitavathi succeeded in rescuing her daughter and subsequently filed a police complaint. She accused the Christian pastor and Bhavani of attempting to indoctrinate the children into Christianity, describing it as an act of religious brainwashing and conversion targeting vulnerable minors. Following this event, other Hindu parents rushed to the church to rescue their children, but the pastor similarly refused to let the children go. This led to a heated confrontation between the parents and the organisers, after which the children were rescued. Police arrived at the scene and subsequently registered a case against Bhavani and pastor Selvaraj. Eyewitnesses and parents also stated that the children were enticed with food and promises of gifts, then made to kneel and pray. Some of the girls, visibly shaken, confirmed the activities inside the church. Reports indicated that such events were conducted regularly. The parents, on the other hand, expressed deep anger that a government school, meant to be secular and safe, had become the launching pad for a religious conversion attempt. Many demanded immediate action against those responsible and called for an official investigation. Following this, a video was uploaded on X by BJP functionary Muruganandam, who stated: “It’s shocking to learn that 40 Pollachi schoolgirls were removed from school and drugged. A few parents located the desolate location, broke down the building’s doors, and rescued their children. Each parent was paid ₹10 lakh to remain silent. Tamil Nadu is in a perilous position due to the widespread presence of narcotics in schools, colleges, railway stations, and localities.” However, Hindu Munnani, a Hindu organisation, reached the scene after learning of the incident. According to Organiser, a Hindu Munnani activist stated that there was no evidence of drugging or sexual assault. However, he confirmed that the students were indeed taken to an illegal prayer hall without the parents’ knowledge. The Hindu Munnani said that the police initially agreed to file an FIR; however, due to pressure from the higher-ups, they didn't register it. They also asked the Hindu activists to speak to the Superintendent of Police. Hindu Munnani stated: “On 2nd May 2025, parents were asked to drop their children at an Anganwadi centre next to the school. One parent, arriving at 10:30 am to collect her child, found her missing. After searching the area, a villager mentioned that a nurse or health worker had taken the children to a church. Apparently, this was not the first time she had done so—she often took them under the pretext of cultural events or similar. The children were taken to Chunnampalayam, around 4 km from the school. When the parents reached the location, they saw the children kneeling and praying. The children were told that Jesus is the only God. After a physical altercation and much denial, the parent was finally allowed to take her daughter back." Hindu Munnani further stated, "Upon hearing this, we from Hindu Munnani visited the spot and informed the police. The health worker admitted to taking the children for prayers and conversion without informing the parents. The police initially assured us they would register a case. However, to our surprise, they did not. When questioned, the higher-ups instructed them not to register an FIR. We were told to speak to the Superintendent of Police. After our persistent efforts, they agreed to issue an acknowledgement of the complaint. Yet, no FIR has been filed to date. The children were given food that had a strange odour. Although I don’t believe they were drugged, something was clearly wrong.”

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the Hinduphobia tracker under the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. The subcategory 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 subcategory selected is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation and subtle indoctrination. The tertiary category selected is- 'Conversion of Minor' and '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. Another primary category relevant in this case is - Attack not resulting in Death. The subcategory selected is- Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save victim. In several cases, Hindus are attacked for opposing religiously motivated crimes being committed against a fellow Hindu or simply for voicing an opinion opposing radical elements, who either have in the past or continue to persecute Hindus. In such cases, the initial attack against the victim, against which the Hindu was trying to defend the victim, would also need to be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime. Since the initial crime itself was religiously motivated and the subsequent crime of attempting to save the victim or speaking against the radical elements ends up inviting a violent attack, it would also be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. This case has been added to the hate crime database, as the details reveal that minor children were taken to an illegal church under false pretences, without the consent of their parents, to convert them to Christianity. The conversion of minors is particularly egregious, as it is a direct violation of their rights and an attack on their cultural and religious identity. Since the victims were mainly minors, the element of consent and genuine change of conscience was absent from the outset. Due to their young age and lack of maturity, minors are especially vulnerable to manipulation and coercion. They may not have the capacity to fully understand the implications of converting to another religion, making them susceptible to religious indoctrination and brainwashing. These instances are not random incidents but rather a premeditated effort to further religious conversions, stemming from hatred and animosity towards the victims’ original faith, Hinduism. A key aspect of the brainwashing involved repeatedly telling the children that “Jesus is the only God who can save us from our sins.” Such statements are designed to undermine the children’s existing beliefs and instil a sense of religious exclusivity, effectively demeaning their Hindu faith. This psychological manipulation, especially when directed at impressionable minors, is a hallmark of brainwashing tactics and reflects a deep-seated hostility towards the Hindu community. Furthermore, the children were induced to convert to Christianity using enticements such as food and promises of gifts, which highlights a systematic attempt at conversion through inducements. Offering food and gifts as bait to lure individuals into conversion is a form of coercion, exploiting people’s needs to advance a religious agenda. Christian missionaries often target socially and economically weaker sections of the Hindu community to further their agenda of religious conversions. This instance itself demonstrates the predatory nature of such conversions, aimed at vulnerable sections of the Hindu community. These acts are carried out due to deep-seated animosity towards the victims’ original faith, hence the perpetrators’ attempts to convert them to Christianity. According to locals, such Christian conversion meetings had been conducted previously. This indicates a pattern of targeting and converting vulnerable Hindu children to Christianity under the guise of reciting Christian prayers. Another important point is that when one parent attempted to intervene, the mother was not only denied access to her child but was also physically assaulted and threatened with death by the pastor. This violent response to a parent’s legitimate concern for her child’s welfare demonstrates an intent to intimidate and suppress dissent within the Hindu community. The refusal to allow other Hindu parents to meet their children and the use of force to prevent their intervention further highlights the religiously targeted nature of the crime. This shows the use of force and violence against Hindu victims to deter them from resisting conversions, as well as to intimidate and silence them. Since this case fits multiple parameters of a religiously motivated crime, it has been added to the hate crime database.