Case Summary

In Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Hindu patients were targeted for religious conversion through the distribution of anti-Hindu literature by a fake Christian doctor named Dashrath Bairagi. According to the reports, the accused ran a clinic in Richhai area of the city without any formal degree or medical qualification to run a clinic. By charging a nominal fee of ₹20, he sold allopathic medicines while simultaneously also giving patients books containing anti-Hindu literature, specifically targeting Hindu patients and asking them to leave Hinduism and convert to Christianity. These books contained derogatory content targeting Hindu deities, including offensive statements against Lord Shiva and Maa Durga. The incident came to light following a complaint by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to the health and police departments. When officials from both departments raided the premises, they discovered a significant stock of unauthorised allopathic medicines and a cache of anti-Hindu books, which were being freely distributed to patients. As of the date of writing this report, the accused was arrested by the police, and appropriate legal action will be taken after investigation.

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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: - 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 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. The third sub-category selected here 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. This case has been added to the tracker because Hindus were targeted for conversion by a fake doctor who was distributing anti-Hindu literature and asking people to convert to Christianity. He used the pretext of medical treatment to subtly push an anti-Hindu agenda, thereby gradually eroding the spiritual foundations of Hindu patients. By distributing literature that mocked and insulted Hindu deities such as Lord Shiva and Maa Durga, the fake doctor sought to instil shame, guilt, and disillusionment for their religion in the minds of his victims. The derogatory content in the books was aimed at insulting the core beliefs and deities of Hinduism in an attempt to create inner confusion and an inferiority complex in the minds of Hindus. The goal of such actions is to gradually detach the victim from their own faith so that their future conversion to Christianity becomes easier. This case is on the lines of the broader patterns of religious grooming and brainwashing, where victims are subtly conditioned over time to reject their own faith. In these cases, the conversion efforts are not direct or overt, but are carried out through subtle and sustained manipulation tactics aimed at dismantling a faith from within. The use of trusted spaces like clinics convert people further portrays the malicious nature of conversion activities as it exploits both physical and emotional vulnerability of the victim. The Christian faith, by its very theological foundations, places a strong emphasis on proselytisation. In pursuit of conversion objectives, Christian evangelists often employ unethical means, ranging from psychological pressure and misinformation to inducements such as medical treatment or jobs. These tactics are designed not as tools for charity but as tools to engineer religious change under the guise of social upliftment. Such practices are rooted in a deep-seated doctrinal contempt for non-Abrahamic religions, particularly Hinduism. Many adherents of Abrahamic faiths view polytheism as inferior or false and, as a result, see no ethical dilemma in dehumanising Hindus or coercing them, directly or indirectly, until they abandon their faith. Consequently, this incident has been added to the tracker.