Hindu students targeted for religious brainwashing; Christian missionaries distribute Bibles near exam centre in Vijayawada
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India 
6 April, 2026
Case Summary
In Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, Hindu students were targeted for religious brainwashing as Christian missionaries distributed Bibles near an examination centre. According to media reports, this occurred at the Kanuru mains exam centre, where Hindu students who went to give exams were distributed Bibles by a few members of Christian missionary groups. When Hindu parents saw this, they confronted the Christian missionaries. They asked them why they were distributing Bibles to Hindu students, and the Christian missionaries immediately tried to run away from the spot. The local Hindus tried to apprehend the accused persons, but they fled from the spot. A video of this incident went viral on social media. In the video, a Hindu man was seen confronting two Christian men holding Bibles and distributing them to Hindu students. The video showed a verbal altercation between the Hindu man and the Christian men. The Hindu man asked why they were distributing Bibles to Hindu students in an examination centre. As this video went viral on social media, it resulted in outrage from Hindu users who raised concerns over such religious brainwashing and attempted proselytisation.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category selected in this case is- Predatory Proselytisation. The subcategory selected is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. A religiously motivated hate crime is one where a victim is targeted because of the offender's hostility towards the victim’s professed faith - whether the underlying act, in this case, constitutes a crime in the limited scope of the laws driven by a secular framework. Proselytisation itself is an act that stems out of the proselytizing faith’s inherent and theological hostility towards Hinduism (Sanatan Dharma). Christianity, for example, considers idolatry as a sin and likens it to immorality (https://www.openbible.info/topics/idolatry). Islam has a far more violent approach to idolatry with over 500 mentions of Kufr (non-believer) and Shirk (anything that does not conform to Islamic tenets) found in the Quran. The Quran has several verses that ordain its followers to convert the polytheists (Hindus in this case) by sword. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that the hostility towards Hinduism in Islam and Christianity is theologically embedded. As such, any conversion by Muslims or Christians of Hindus is a result of hostility towards Hinduism. There are cases in fact where even faiths that don’t inherently harbour animosity towards Hinduism have been militarized to express hatred by a section of the adherents of the faith. Such faiths too indulge in predatory proselytization. For this category, we would only focus on those conversions which have a component of coercion, force, threats, harassment, inducement, brainwashing and the like. For this category, though the argument that any conversion to Islam or Christianity stems out of inherent hostility towards Hinduism, we would not take into account conversions where the convert has changed his religion without any coercion or inducement but supposedly, a change of conscience. This incident clearly qualifies as a religiously motivated hate crime, as the Christian missionaries targeted vulnerable Hindu students for brainwashing and manipulation right outside an exam centre in Vijayawada. These young Hindu students, already burdened with the intense stress of their examinations, became easy prey in their heightened state of anxiety and distraction. Distributing Bibles, a sacred text of another faith, precisely at this moment was no coincidence; it was a calculated move to exploit their vulnerability, sowing seeds of doubt and pressure during a time when their minds were most open to seeking solace. Picture the confusion and fear these Hindu students felt, clutching their study materials, only to be handed a foreign religious book by the Christian perpetrators, intent on pulling them away from their Hindu roots. The use of the Bible in this context further reveals the perpetrators' aggressive intent to indoctrinate Hindu students with Christian teachings. By thrusting this book upon them at an exam hall, the missionaries aimed to subtly introduce alien doctrines, pressuring impressionable minds during a high-stakes moment. Thus, the Christian perpetrators were also actively attempting to indoctrinate the Hindu victims by using Christian religious texts and literature. Using the scriptures or literature of one faith to deliberately target and manipulate members of another, with the clear intention of religious conversion, represented a direct attack on the Hindu faith. Such actions were designed to violate and undermine the beliefs of Hindu victims and served as clear indicators of religious hostility towards Hindus and their religious identity. This was not random kindness but a deliberate act of religious targeting, designed to erode their Hindu faith bit by bit. Such tactics alienate young Hindus from their cultural and spiritual heritage, fostering gradual conversion through manipulation rather than open dialogue. Targeting students at an exam centre amplifies the predatory nature of this crime, as these youth are particularly susceptible, racked with worry about their future, far from family comfort, and desperate for any sense of reassurance. The missionaries exploited this fragility to push their conversion agenda, turning a place of academic pursuit into a battleground for religious conquest. Such actions further demonstrated that this was not an isolated incident of evangelism, but rather part of a broader, organised operation to further religious conversions. When Christian religious material is used to exploit trust, sow doubt, and misrepresent the beliefs of Hindus to coerce conversion, particularly in a systematic manner, it constitutes a religiously motivated offence. This choice of timing and location underscores deep animosity towards Hinduism, aiming to strip these students of their Hindu identity. Overall, distributing Bibles to Hindu students in this manner was a blatant attempt to brainwash and convert, slowly weaning them from their faith while their defences were down. This pattern of religiously motivated targeting meets every parameter of a hate crime, exposing the perpetrators' hostility towards Hindus and their beliefs. Therefore, this case is being added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records the dates of incidents based on when the crime occurred rather than when it was reported by the media. In this case, media reports did not state the exact date when the crime occurred. Hence, 7 April 2026, the date when it was first reported in the media, was recorded as the indicative incident date. This is recorded for documentation purposes only. In this case, the perpetrator count has been recorded as two. Media reports did not state the exact number of perpetrators, but the viral video showed two Christian men distributing Bibles. That number has been selected as the conservative perpetrator count. This is recorded for documentation purposes only.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
