Hindus enticed through monetary incentives to convert to Christianity under the guise of healing and curing illnesses
Ludhiana, Punjab, India 
14 June, 2025
Case Summary
In the Sundar Nagar area of Ludhiana, Punjab, members of a Christian missionary group attempted to persuade Hindus to convert to Christianity. The missionaries approached Hindus with inducements like money and manipulated them by saying they could cure diseases and provide ‘healing’. According to media reports, a video of the incident circulated widely on social media, in which a local Hindu youth named Saurav narrated his encounter with the missionaries. He said that, while returning home after breakfast with his brother, he was approached by a group of five people, including men, women, and children, who began urging him to convert to Christianity. Saurav stated, “They promised me everything, luxuries, comfort, if I converted to Christianity.” However, he stood firm, objected to their conversion attempts, and asked them to leave. Another local Hindu resident, Sharma, stated that the missionaries were offering not only money but also miraculous ‘healing’ from illnesses. He stated, “They told us that even if someone in our home is sick, they would be cured after accepting Christianity.” Sharma confronted the missionaries, saying, “You appear to be converts yourselves. When your ancestors did not convert even under threat, how can you convert just for money?” The Hindu residents then asked one of the missionaries his name. The man replied that his name was Bhuvinder Singh Sharma. The locals questioned him, “Are you Hindu?” to which he replied, “No.” They then asked, “Then why are you using the surname Sharma?” This led to strong objections from the local Hindus, who accused the missionaries of adopting Hindu names in order to mislead people. One resident commented, “This is part of their tactic, to keep the Hindu name but change the religion quietly.” The locals confronted the missionaries, declaring with pride that they are Hindus and would never abandon their Sanatan Dharma. They told the missionaries that no temptation or false promise could shake their unwavering faith. They asserted, “Sanatan Dharma is great. We will never abandon our Dharma.” Following this confrontation, the missionaries left the area. The residents immediately approached the local police station and informed the authorities about the incident. They also apprehended two Christian missionary individuals and handed them over to the police. The two apprehended individuals were involved in the conversion attempt, who had Hindu names but were actually Christians. The police registered a complaint based on the statements of the Hindu residents and assured them that appropriate action would be taken, confirming that further legal procedures would follow.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. Within this, 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 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 the 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 proselytisation, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. In this case, in Ludhiana, local Hindus were lured to convert to Christianity through monetary incentives. The nature of the conversion efforts, the use of inducements to exploit Hindus, and the wider impact on the Hindu community all indicate a targeted action against Hindus as a group. When individuals or groups focus their efforts on converting members of a particular religion, in this case, Hindus, then it demonstrates a fundamental disregard for that faith. Conversion, especially when not based on personal conviction but rather on external persuasion or pressure, is not simply about sharing a different belief system. It is an attempt to undermine the values, traditions, and identity of the Hindu community. In this context, the Christian missionaries specifically targeted Hindus, which suggests a lack of respect for Hinduism and its followers. Such actions are carried out with the intention of stripping Hindu victims of their faith. Secondly, offering incentives to encourage conversion shows that these incentives are not acts of kindness or charity. Instead, they are calculated moves to exploit vulnerable Hindus because of their religion. By providing inducements to Hindus to change their faith, the Christian perpetrators were effectively blackmailing those who might have been desperate for assistance. Such instances are seen in many cases where members of Christian missionary groups target socially and economically vulnerable Hindus to further their agenda of religious conversions. This form of coercion strips Hindus of their agency and dignity and enforces forced conversions. These are not random or isolated incidents, but rather are premeditated efforts to undermine the Hindu faith, persuade Hindus to discard their own faith, and convert to Christianity. Such acts are deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims. Another particularly troubling aspect of this case is the use of “healing to cure diseases” as a guise to lure individuals and facilitate conversions. Such offers are often presented as opportunities for physical or emotional healing, offering hope to Hindus who may be suffering from illness, distress, or other hardships. Such manipulation of vulnerable Hindus, exploiting their difficulties to advance the agenda of religious conversion, glaringly demonstrates the religiously motivated nature of the case. Another point to highlight is that the Christian missionaries attempted to lure Hindus by keeping Hindu names. Locals stated that this was done to manipulate Hindus into converting to Christianity. Such acts of deception and coercion are employed by members of the Christian missionary group as a method to influence vulnerable Hindus into adopting Christianity. This demonstrates the use of deceit and manipulation to entrap innocent Hindus and convert them. Such actions make the religious motivations behind the crime even more evident. In summary, the Ludhiana case exemplifies a hate crime against Hindus, as it involves the deliberate targeting of Hindus for conversion, the exploitation of their vulnerabilities through incentives, and the making of false claims regarding healing and the curing of illnesses. Such actions do not constitute genuine religious dialogue or personal spiritual journeys; rather, they represent concerted efforts to strip Hindu individuals of their ancestral faith and pressure and manipulate them into adopting Christianity. As the act of exploiting vulnerabilities to explicitly convert Hindus is motivated solely by hostility towards Hinduism, this case has been classified as a religiously motivated hate crime and has been added to the hate crime database. Disclaimer: The media reports do not specify the total number of Hindu victims who were being targeted to convert to Christianity. However, since two victims came forward to share their ordeal, and one of them stated that he and his brother were approached for religious conversion, the victim count has been recorded as 3. Also, the total number of perpetrators is not mentioned. The reports state that two individuals were handed over to the police, while the rest fled. Therefore, the number of perpetrators is recorded as ‘Unknown’.
Victim Details
Total Victim
3
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 3
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 3
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 3
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
