Scheduled Caste Hindus in Gokarna targeted for religious conversion through inducements
Gokarna, Karnataka, India 
21 June, 2025
Case Summary
In Talageri Colony of Gokarna, Karnataka, poor Hindu villagers from Scheduled Caste communities were targeted for religious conversion under the guise of religious education and through inducements offered by Christian missionaries. According to reports, Christian missionaries visited the homes of these economically vulnerable families and conducted religious sessions while offering inducements such as money and free aid. These efforts were aimed at persuading villagers to abandon their Hindu faith and convert to Christianity. Local residents, growing suspicious of the activities, carried out their own inquiry. Upon discovering the true nature of these gatherings, they confronted the missionaries and handed them over to the police. It has also been reported that such conversion attempts have been taking place in the area for several years, systematically targeting poor Hindu families. The incident provoked widespread anger, especially given that Gokarna is a sacred pilgrimage site with deep religious significance. Local Hindu organisations and villagers have condemned the incident and asserted that such activities are unacceptable in a holy place. They urged authorities to take strict legal action against those involved. As of the date of this report, a police case has been registered, and an investigation is underway.
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: - 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 sub-category relevant here is: - Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination, with the tertiary category being: - 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. This case has been added to the tracker because poor Scheduled Caste Hindu villagers were being converted through deceiving them through religious education and offering inducements such as free money and help by the Christian missionaries. The missionaries specifically targeted Hindus who were poor and economically backwards, using financial incentives as a tool to facilitate religious conversion. Offering incentives to encourage conversion, particularly when directed at individuals who are vulnerable or in need, 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 accused 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 people of their agency and dignity and enforces forced conversions. These are not random or isolated incidents, but rather cases deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims. The conduct of religious education sessions in the homes of Hindu villagers is part of a larger pattern of religious brainwashing. These sessions are rarely innocent. They are often manipulative and involve subtle forms of brainwashing designed to slowly weaken the victim’s connection to their own religion. Emotional manipulation, misinformation, and persistent moral undermining of Hindu practices are commonly used tactics. This is a classic case of grooming, where the victim is not threatened directly but is instead worn down emotionally and mentally until they accept the perpetrator’s religious beliefs. Furthermore, missionaries chose a sacred religious place like Gokarna, which also reinforces their malicious and predatory intent. Disclaimer: The report does not specify the exact date on which the conversion activity began. Therefore, for documentation purposes, the date of the incident has been recorded based on when it was first reported in the media.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
