Innocent villagers forced to convert to Christianity by giving inducements

Case ID : f664547 | Location : Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Sun, 2 February, 2025
Case ID : f664547
location Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, India
date 2 February, 2025
Innocent villagers forced to convert to Christianity by giving inducements
Predatory Proselytisation
Conversion/ attempts to convert by inducement

Case Summary

Police in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, arrested five individuals on charges of religious conversion. The arrests were made in the Kakaiyapara village, located in the Kamalapur police station area, following information provided by local villagers. The operation was led by Additional Superintendent of Police (South), Praveen Ranjan Singh, and involved two women among the arrested suspects. The individuals arrested included Rambaran, his wife Mona, Rahul, America, and Ramvati, all residents of the Manpara area within Kamalapur. The arrests took place in a tin shed near Chakaiyapar, where the accused were found. During the raid, police recovered 16 Bibles, eight religious books, a mobile phone, and cash totalling ₹3,144 from the suspects. The police registered a case under the Prohibition of Religious Conversion Act against the arrested individuals. They were subsequently sent to jail for their involvement in the alleged conversion activities.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of Predatory proselytisation. Under this, the first 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. Here, some Christian evangelists attempted to convert individuals through inducements, such as money. The use of inducements to convert individuals is indeed a common tactic in efforts to influence or manipulate vulnerable individuals into changing their faith. This approach often targets economically disadvantaged groups, offering material benefits such as food, money, or livestock in exchange for conversion. It creates a form of dependency that can alienate individuals from their original faith, as they may feel compelled to convert not out of genuine belief but due to immediate needs or financial pressures. Here too, the Christian evangelists adopted a similar tactic of exploiting the vulnerability of the Hindus to convert them to Christianity. 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.

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Case Status


Arrested

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Perpetrators Details

Perpetrators


Christian Extremists

Perpetrators Range


From 2 To 5

Perpetrators Gender


both

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