Hindus lured with incentives and misled into religious conversion, Hindu activists assaulted for resisting conversion in Uttar Pradesh
Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
27 September, 2025
Case Summary
In Baghaura village, Barhalganj, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, Hindus were targeted for forced conversion. The victims were lured with incentives and manipulated to convert. According to reports, this unauthorised conversion incident sparked outrage among Hindu activists. Hindu activist Ankit Dubey received information that a large number of Hindus were made to gather at a religious site in Barhalganj town to participate in religious conversion activities. When he reached the spot, he was manhandled, and an attempt was made to snatch his mobile phone. Dubey stated that he questioned the Hindus present about the reason for such a large gathering. After examining the matter, it became clear that forced religious conversion activities were taking place there. He described the incident as an "attack on Hindu culture and faith" and emphasised that such acts would not be tolerated. BJP leader Virendra Kumar said that forced or incentivised religious conversion was against the law of the country and unacceptable under any circumstances. Prabhu Nath Soni, general secretary of the Jewellers Association and a Hindu leader, described the incident as an "attack on Hindu religion and tradition." BJP leader Amit Vashisht Tripathi said it was a matter concerning the "faith and existence of the entire society" and demanded that the "conspiracy" behind these religious conversions be uncovered. Business leader Ashok Jaiswal also condemned the incident, stating that misleading the poor and uneducated in the name of religious conversion was a "conspiracy to divide society." A large number of activists from Hindu organisations and local villagers were present during the incident. People demanded that the district administration identify those involved in the religious conversion activities and take strict legal action to prevent such incidents in the future. When contacted, the police station in charge, Chandrabhan Singh, stated that no formal complaint had been received. He added that the matter had been taken note of and that an investigation was underway.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category selected in this case is- Predatory Proselytisation. Within this, the subcategory selected is- Conversion/attempts to convert by offering 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 other subcategory selected is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation, or subtle indoctrination. 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. Another primary category selected is- Attack not resulting in death. The subcategory selected is- Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save victim. In several cases, Hindus are attacked for opposing religiously motivated crimes being committed against a fellow Hindu or simply for voicing an opinion opposing radical elements, who either have in the past or continue to persecute Hindus. In such cases, the initial attack against the victim, against which the Hindu was trying to defend the victim, would also need to be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime. Since the initial crime itself was religiously motivated and the subsequent crime of attempting to save the victim or speaking against the radical elements ends up inviting a violent attack, it would also be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. In this case, the non-Hindu perpetrators specifically targeted Hindus by gathering them in a religious place of worship and then offering them incentives to convert to their faith. In such cases, inducements are never acts of charity or goodwill; they are deliberate, calculated moves to exploit Hindu victims precisely because of their religious identity and their social vulnerability. Such inducement-driven conversions are carried out with the clear intent to strip Hindus of their faith and force them into abandoning their traditions, culture, and community ties. These are not isolated acts but religiously motivated crimes, rooted in deep-seated animosity towards Hindu identity and existence. Reports also made it clear that the Hindu victims were subjected not only to inducements but also to systematic misleading and manipulation designed to spiritually disarm them and push them into adopting another faith. This manipulation highlights the underlying hostility towards Hindus, as it deliberately seeks to confuse them, weaken their confidence, and engineer situations where they are compelled to change their religion. Such tactics prey upon lack of awareness and social vulnerability, turning faith into a tool of coercion. These acts of manipulation are neither neutral nor accidental; they explicitly reveal religious hatred, as they target Hindus for who they are and for the beliefs they hold, which makes this a religiously motivated crime. When Hindu activists arrived to resist these forced conversions and to safeguard their community, they themselves came under attack. Hindu activist Ankit Dubey was manhandled and had his mobile phone nearly snatched away by the perpetrators. Such assaults on those who stood up to defend Hindus further exposed the aggressive intent of the perpetrators and highlighted the lengths to which they were willing to go to convert Hindus against their will. Targeting and attacking defenders of the Hindu faith is a direct act of hostility – it is not only an attack on individuals but an attack on Hindus as a whole. These actions underscore the religiously motivated nature of the crime and demonstrate the perpetrators’ animosity and determination to break the spirit of Hindus who resist conversion. Although the exact religious identity of the perpetrators is not known, the very act of targeting Hindus for forced conversion is in itself an expression of hostility against the Hindu faith and the Hindu community. The nature of this offence is unmistakably religiously motivated and rooted in hate. Therefore, this case has been categorised as a hate crime against Hindus and has been added to the Hate Crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records the date of each incident based on when the crime occurred, rather than when it is reported in the media. However, in this case, the media report did not specify the exact date of the crime. Therefore, for the purpose of documentation, the date of publication of the media report, 28th September 2025, is being used as the indicative date of the incident.
Case Status
Complaint not filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
