Hindu villagers targeted for conversion through financial inducements

Case ID : f664aa7 | Location : Ashta, Madhya Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Tue, 1 April, 2025

Case ID : f664aa7

Ashta, Madhya Pradesh, India

1 April, 2025

Hindu villagers targeted for conversion through financial inducements

Predatory Proselytisation

Conversion/ attempts to convert by inducement

Case Summary

In Ashta, a case of religious conversion came to light, leading to the arrest of a man named Kailash Barela by the Siddhiganj police. Barela was charged with attempting to convert Hindu villagers to Christianity by offering them financial incentives. The accused Kailash Barela, aged 40, was a resident of Shyampura. Kailash had converted to Christianity five years ago and had since been persuading villagers to follow suit by providing them with monthly monetary support, covering medical expenses, and offering accommodation. However, no villager accepted the offer or converted. According to the complaint filed by Jagdip Singh Kharatiya, the incident occurred on 2nd April while he was travelling to Rupakund. During his journey, he encountered Barela, who once again attempted to lure him into converting to Christianity. Disturbed by this persistent effort, Kharatiya reported the matter to the police, leading to Barela’s arrest.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. The 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. This case qualifies as a religiously motivated hate crime under the category of predatory proselytisation due to the element of inducement-based conversion attempts. The accused, Kailash Barela, sought to exploit the financial vulnerabilities of Hindu villagers by offering them monetary benefits, medical assistance, and housing in exchange for converting to Christianity. The targeting of Hindus with the intent to alter their faith through material inducements demonstrates the religiously discriminatory nature of the act. By aiming to disenfranchise Hindus from their religious beliefs through financial incentives, the act aligns with the broader pattern of predatory proselytisation. Since such cases involve a systematic effort to erode the religious identity of a community under the guise of assistance, they are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. Disclaimer: The details of this case reveal that many Hindu villagers 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.