Tribal children brainwashed and coerced into conversion by Christian missionaries in the name of education
Mandla, Madhya Pradesh, India 
29 March, 2025
Case Summary
A large-scale conversion racket was exposed in the Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh, where Christian missionaries were actively converting tribal children under the guise of education. A school named Sign For India in Ghutas village was found to be running an illegal hostel where 15 girls and 33 boys had already been converted to Christianity. According to reports, the school lacked the necessary permissions to operate a hostel, raising serious concerns about the legitimacy of its activities. An investigation by the Madhya Pradesh Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MPCPCR) revealed that the children had been systematically brainwashed and coerced into embracing Christianity. The school, operated without authorisation by one Jyoti Raj from Odisha, was found to be a hub of religious indoctrination. The Commission, taking serious note of the matter, forwarded the evidence to the Bhopal headquarters and the local administration for strict action. Omkar Singh, a member of the Commission, told OpIndia that 48 children had been brought from Damoh, Anuppur, Odisha, and nearby regions, and their testimonies were alarming. Instead of aspiring to be doctors or engineers, many of the children expressed a desire to become pastors and nuns, indicating that their beliefs had been systematically reshaped. The children themselves admitted that they were encouraged to convert, proving the existence of an organised proselytisation campaign. The presence of Bibles and other religious texts on the school premises provided further evidence of active conversion efforts. A particularly disturbing revelation was that Christian prayers were not conducted openly, as is common in schools, but in an underground space, suggesting an attempt to conceal the activities from scrutiny. Video recordings of children praying and their conversations with Commission members have been submitted as evidence to the authorities. District Programme Coordinator (DPC) K.K. Upadhyay confirmed that suspicions had been raised about the school, and when officials arrived, they found children holding Bibles while entering the prayer room. The children disclosed that they participated in Christian prayers daily at 6:30 p.m. and had previously followed another religion. The Commission successfully rescued 15 girls and 33 boys who had been brought from Mandla, Odisha, and Anuppur and were coerced into participating in religious activities without their parents’ consent. Speaking to OpIndia, local social worker Tarendra Chaurasia revealed that religious symbols such as kalawa and tilak were deliberately removed from the children, signifying an effort to erase their indigenous religious identity. The rescued children, belonging to the Gond and Baiga tribal communities, had been fully converted to Christianity. They were found praying to Jesus, holding Bibles, and adhering to Christian rituals. Notably, the Baiga tribe, which is already on the verge of extinction in several regions, appears to be a particular target of such aggressive conversion efforts. Videos and photographs linked to the case have been submitted for further investigation. Alarmingly, in a small, backward village with barely 100 families, missionaries have invested crores to establish a school and offer education at extremely low costs, raising serious concerns about their true motives and the sources funding such operations. After the incident came to the fore, demands for strict legal action against the main accused, Jyoti Raj from Odisha, started rising.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the Hate Crime database in the tracker under the category- Predatory Proselytisation. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination, and the tertiary categories chosen are- Conversion of Minor, Victim says was brainwashed/groomed and 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 second category selected for the case is- Attack on Hindu religious symbol and within this, the sub-category selected is- Desecration of Hindu religious symbol. Icons and symbols or a religious representation of a spiritual ideal are widely revered in Hinduism. Iconography is of vital significance in the Hindu milieu. It helps connect people’s spiritual beliefs with the real world. Iconography within the Hindu faith takes several shapes and forms. Murtis are of most significance to Hindus, to which daily rituals, prayers and offerings are done. Besides the murtis, there are several other symbols which have deep significance in the Hindu faith – the Om and Swastika for example. Since these Hindu religious symbols hold paramount importance in Hinduism, any desecration of symbols, icons, murtis, religious representations and manifestations, is driven by animosity towards the faith itself which manifests itself through these murtis, icons and symbols. Therefore, any desecration of these Hindu religious symbols and representations is considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. The third category under which this case has been placed is- Restriction/ban on Hindu practices and within this, the sub-category selected is- Restriction on expression of Hindu identity. This case has been categorised first under Predatory Proselytisation in the Hate Crime database, as it exemplifies a calculated and systematic effort to convert vulnerable Hindu minors through coercion and psychological conditioning. This incident highlights the insidious methods used by the Christian missionaries to influence and alter the religious beliefs of these children. The evangelists, under the pretext of providing education and shelter, exploited the children’s innocence and lack of awareness to rewire their minds and instil a new religious identity, effectively severing them from their original faith and cultural roots. It is important to note here that all the victims were underage and incapable of providing informed consent to such a profound change in their religious identity. It is a well-established fact that children are more susceptible to manipulation since they are still developing emotionally, cognitively, and socially. Their brains are not fully mature, making them more vulnerable to influence and less capable of critically evaluating information. Moreover, subtle manipulation tactics can be difficult to detect, especially when employed by trusted authority figures in positions of influence. This makes it challenging for parents to identify and address instances of religious manipulation. The fact that these children, who had once followed another religion, were found engaging in Christian prayers and expressing aspirations of becoming pastors and nuns instead of pursuing conventional careers demonstrates the depth of their indoctrination. Moreover, the presence of Bibles, the clandestine nature of the prayer sessions held in an underground space, and the school’s illegal operations all point towards a well-orchestrated plan to strip these children of their native faith without parental knowledge or societal oversight. Such cases are not isolated incidents but part of a recurring pattern of predatory proselytisation aimed at diminishing Hindu cultural and religious identity. Next, the deliberate removal of religious symbols such as kalawa and tilak from the children adds another disturbing dimension to this case, further underscoring the element of religious hatred. These symbols hold significant religious, cultural, and spiritual importance in Hinduism, representing protection, blessings, unity, and a commitment to spiritual values. Erasing these sacred symbols was not merely an act of conversion but an aggressive attempt to strip the children of their Hindu identity, reinforcing the coercive nature of the indoctrination. Consequently, cases involving religious manipulation of minors not only represent an infringement on an individual's religious freedom but also demonstrate a calculated strategy of targeting those who are less able to resist or understand the long-term implications of conversion, making it a significant case of religiously motivated hate crime. For this reason, this case has been added to the tracker.
Victim Details
Total Victim
48
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 33
- Female 15
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 48
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 0
Age Group
- Minor 48
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
female
Sources 
