Christian evengelists running conversion racket in UP's Sonbhadra were luring tribals in the name of curing their illness
Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh, India 
30 November, 2023
Case Summary
In the Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh, the police booked 42 people and arrested 9 persons after busting an illegal Christian conversion racket. The police also seized laptops, Christian literature and propaganda materials from the possession of the arrested accused. The accused Christian proselytisers were organising ‘Changai Sabha’ (‘Changai’ means supposedly curing ailing people through prayers recited by a pastor) in the village to lure the local tribals into converting to Christianity in the name of curing their illness.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Predatory Proselytisation and under this, the sub-category chosen 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. In this case, the Christian evangelists were attempting to exploit a specific vulnerability of the victims who were in all likelihood also economically backward. The missionaries exploited the poor victims by promising them cures for their ailments - cures that they either could not afford or for incurable diseases. Since exploiting vulnerabilities for the explicit purpose of conversion is purely based on animosity towards the victim's faith, this case has been categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime.
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 10 to 100
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
