Hindu devotees handed Christian propaganda along with sacred offerings in Bhadrachalam temple
Bhadradri Kothagudem, Telangana, India 
31 May, 2025
Case Summary
In the Bhadradri Kothagudem district of Telangana, Hindu devotees were being subtly brainwashed and indoctrinated by some shopkeepers through the distribution of Christian propaganda material inside the premises of the Bhadradri Rama Temple According to the reports, a group of devotees from Guntur visited the temple for darshan and purchased sarees from a shop that sells clothes that are offered to the presiding deity. These sarees, intended as offerings to Sita and Rama, were handed over in bags that carried Christian propaganda. It read "Jesus Christ is Lord of All", promoting Christianity. Devotees, visibly confused, asked for an explanation from the shopkeepers but were met with evasive responses. The devotees then submitted a formal complaint to the temple authorities. Following this, the temple authorities conducted an inspection and confirmed the presence of Christian propaganda printed on multiple carry bags used at the shop. It must be noted here that these shops are within the temple premises; thus, they come under their jurisdiction and pay rent to the temple authorities. The materials were removed immediately from the premises. As of the date of writing this report, the temple authorities were unaware of how the bags entered the temple premises. The Executive Officer (EO) had issued a notice to the shopkeeper asking for an explanation and warned of strict action if such an incident occurs again.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of: - Predatory Proselytisation. Within it, the sub-category selected is: - Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. 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. The other sub-category relevant here is: - Attempting to convert/converting by denigrating Hinduism. In several cases, Hindus are converted or an attempt is made to convert Hindus by denigrating their faith, Hinduism. In such cases, the Hindus associate with the non-Hindu perpetrators often by choice and then, the attempt to convert them by insulting their faith, showing the faith down etc begins. An example of this would be a non-Hindu gathering where the Hindus are attending the gathering of their own free will. However, once they attend the gathering, there is an explicit attempt to convert them by abusing their faith and hailing the faith of the perpetrator. The denigration of the Hindu faith is often based on misrepresentation of the Hindu faith, its doctrine and scriptures and insult to espoused traditions if not blatant lies about Hindu beliefs and ways. Such conversions or attempts at conversions are driven by animosity towards the Hindu faith and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. The second primary category selected here is: - Attack on Hindu religious representations. Within it, the sub-category selected is: - Breaking rules of place of worship. Sanatan Dharma is not a religion of one book, which is to say that while it has religious scriptures that form the central tenets of the faith, there are several traditions followed through thousands of years, mostly passed from generation to generation orally. One of these oral traditions or written traditions is the rules of specific temples. Certain temples have rules which are traditional rules, dependent on the worship of the presiding deities. These rules and traditions have been followed for thousands of years whether they find scriptural mention or not. Such traditions are based on the nature and rules of worship of the presiding deity of that temple. Any non-compliance of these traditions owing to animosity towards the faith or for the sake of activism stems not only from the lack of faith in the presiding deity but also disregard for the faith of the devotees of that deity/temple and implicit bias against the faith, the tradition and the deity itself. Since these specific traditions are central to the faith of the devotees of that specific temple and presiding deity, any non-compliance with these traditional rules would be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. This case has been added to the tracker because Christian propaganda was being distributed inside the Bhadradri Rama Temple premises. The bags carried the slogan “Jesus Christ is Lord of All.” While the slogan may appear harmless, in the context of a sacred Hindu temple, it reflects the predatory nature of religious indoctrination. The message was not just a casual reference; it was a calculated attempt at subtle brainwashing, targeting Hindu devotees in a space they consider deeply sacred. The line directly implied the supremacy of Jesus / Christianity over Hindu deities. This is what makes the act both insulting and dangerous, as it was a psychological tactic to create a sense of inferiority among Hindu devotees and to slowly convert them by planting seeds of doubt and confusion. This is a classic example of religious grooming where propaganda isn’t pushed aggressively but introduced subtly and repeatedly, often in trusted or sacred spaces, to manipulate emotions and lower resistance. The goal is to soften the devotee's attachment to their own faith and gradually condition them to accept Christianity as a superior religion. Moreover, the fact that this occurred within the physical premises of the temple is also a violation of the established norms and traditions associated with the temple. Temples like the Bhadradri Rama Temple are not just places of worship, but it has also have their own rules, traditions, and expectations regarding conduct and symbolism. Promoting Christianity inside a Hindu temple is not just an act of propaganda, but it is a direct insult to the temple, the presiding deity, and the faith of the devotees. The Christian faith, by its very theological foundations, places a strong emphasis on proselytisation. Therefore, such actions are not merely individual offences but are part of a larger ideological assault rooted in religious animosity. Deliberately choosing a Hindu temple for this purpose reflects clear religious animosity and intent to provoke and offend Hindus. The act disrespects both the sanctity of the temple and the dignity of its devotees, and thus has been categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
