A decade-long menace of forced religious conversions in the Kukurbera settlement has finally come under the spotlight. Locals have raised serious allegations that Christian missionaries have been exploiting the vulnerable residents of this settlement for over ten years by forcibly converting them under the pretext of prayer meetings. As per Naidunia, this illegal activity has now culminated in a police crackdown and FIR registration against two individuals, including a woman, accused of coercive conversion tactics.
Residents of Kukurbera revealed that missionaries aggressively invade the homes of sick and needy people without consent, conducting unsolicited prayer sessions. They lure the financially weak with false promises of relief from all their troubles, often dangling monetary incentives to compel conversion.
Hindu groups protest illegal conversion
On Sunday, the tensions escalated when Hindu organizations responded to complaints from the local residents and staged a protest by surrounding a house used as an illegal church. The police swiftly intervened, arresting 30 to 35 people found attending the unauthorized prayer meeting inside. Among those taken into custody were not only local residents but also outsiders involved in these conversion activities.
Following written complaints from the Hindu organizations and the residents of Kukurbera, the Saraswati Nagar police station registered an FIR against three individuals, including a woman. This crackdown is a much-needed step after months of rampant conversion activities in the city’s slum areas. According to reports, there are over 130 settlements in the city, with more than 30 hotspots where such illegal conversions are systematically carried out by Christian groups targeting economically weaker sections by offering meager financial incentives.
Bajrang Dal’s district coordinator, Vijendra Verma, stated that forced conversions in Kukurbera have been ongoing for the past ten years. Despite multiple complaints to the administration, no substantial action was taken until the local community, backed by Hindu groups, raised their voice and protested against these illegal churches. The police response was delayed and inadequate until the recent agitation forced them to act.
Missionaries exploit children and the sick for forced conversions
Residents also exposed a woman named Sanju Bagh, who runs tuition classes for children as a front to lure them. Children are secretly given chocolates and enticed to attend these classes, where they are subjected to derogatory remarks about Hindu deities and coerced to participate in Christian prayers, particularly those dedicated to Jesus. Monetary bribes are also reportedly used to sway the children. Complaints against this woman for inciting schoolchildren had already been lodged at the Kotwali police station a few months ago.
The local community further revealed how missionaries forcefully enter the homes of sick individuals under the guise of prayer, offering false hopes and monetary temptations to convert them. This malicious practice of exploiting vulnerable people’s distress to change their faith is utterly condemnable.
This is not an isolated incident. On July 28, the police sealed another illegal church operating in the Utkal Bastis of WRS Colony after locals protested against coercive conversion tactics. Similarly, on July 31, protests against conversions in Gudiyari’s Murra Bhatti area resulted in police detaining five people involved in conversion activities; they were later released after police intervention.
The Hindu community, backed by organizations like Bajrang Dal, demands immediate and stringent action against these conversion rackets that not only violate the law but threaten the cultural and religious integrity of the region. It is imperative that authorities take strong, decisive measures to end this decade-long exploitation of poor communities under the pretense of prayer meetings.
Christian missionary exploitation and forced conversions have become increasingly common, especially in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Pastors often manipulate vulnerable communities, targeting economically weaker sections, including Scheduled Castes and Brahmins, to coerce them into converting. Hindus must be aware of such tactics, and especially in schools, young children should be given proper guidance to avoid falling into these traps.
