Hindus lured with medical and financial incentives to convert to Christianity, Hindu deities denigrated
Surendranagar, Gujarat, India 
16 March, 2025
Case Summary
In Surendranagar, Gujarat, Hindus were lured to convert to Christianity by being offered medical and financial incentives. The accused Christian evangelists, Ratilal Parmar and Bhanwarlal Pardhi, also denigrated Hindu deities in an attempt to convert the Hindus to Christianity. According to media reports, the Hindus were enticed by the two Christians, who offered monetary incentives to encourage conversion. The accused reportedly told the Hindu victims that converting to Christianity would help them overcome ill health and financial difficulties and that those who converted would receive similar benefits. They offered Rs 20,000 each to those willing to convert. A local Hindu, Ranjit Bhanghu, who was lured to convert, stated that the two accused also denigrated Hindu deities, which hurt his religious sentiments. Bhanghu informed the local Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal functionaries, who immediately rushed to the market where the accused were attempting to persuade locals to convert to Christianity. Following this, VHP and Bajrang Dal activists approached the Wadali police and demanded that an FIR be registered against them. The police registered a case against the two accused under Section 299 (intentional insult to the religious beliefs of any group of people) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Act. The two accused, Ratilal Parmar and Bhanwarlal Pardhi, were subsequently arrested.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category- 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. The second 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. In this case, the Christian extremists were offering money to vulnerable Hindus in an attempt to disenfranchise them from their professed faith and convert them to Christianity. Luring Hindus to convert to a different faith by offering money and inducements such as miracle cures for ailments is predatory in nature since the extremists manipulate the specific vulnerabilities of disadvantaged and poor Hindus to manipulate them into conversion. Further, the accused also resorted to insulting Hinduism to provoke and alienate members of the Hindus from their faith. This tactic is usually employed not only to assert the perceived superiority of their own religious beliefs over Hinduism but also to instil doubt in the minds of Hindus, making them more susceptible to conversion. Such predatory actions arise from deep-seated hostility towards the victim’s faith, as Abrahamic doctrines often view non-adherents as lesser until they convert. Given that this act is driven by doctrinal animosity towards Hinduism and its followers, it is being recorded as a religiously motivated hate crime. Disclaimer: The details of this case reveal that many Hindus were lured to convert by the accused. However, since it is explicitly mentioned that one person confirmed the allegation of conversion, we have conservatively recorded the victim count as 1 in the database for accuracy and consistency.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 1
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 1
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
