Hindu villagers lured, offered inducements and threatened for religious conversion by Christian missionaries in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand
Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand, India 
4 April, 2026
Case Summary
In Deennagar village of the Nanakmatta area in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, Hindus were lured, offered inducements and threatened to convert to Christianity by Christian missionaries. The police registered a case against nine named persons on 5 April and initiated an investigation. According to the complainant, Sohan Singh, son of Firu Singh, a resident of Gram Sabha Balkheda village, the accused Gauri Singh, son of Umedi Singh, had been propagating Christianity in a private residence in Deennagar village for nearly eight years. It was stated that Gauri Singh, along with his associates, targeted villagers, including women and children, by promising medicines and free education to influence them towards conversion. The complainant stated that on the afternoon of 5 April, a group of Christians arrived and advised him to adopt Christianity. Those present included Shankar Singh, son of Jasvir Singh; Varun Singh, son of Umedi Singh; Shyamali, wife of Shankar Singh; Sarita, daughter of Sahdev Singh; and Shabnam, daughter of Umedi Singh. It was stated that they offered five lakh rupees in exchange for conversion. When the offer was refused, threats were issued. The complainant further stated that when the matter was raised on the Bajrang Dal's social media page, he was pressured and threatened with the removal of the post. Sohan Singh, also known as Dan Singh Rana, a resident of Mohammadpur Mudia, Sahdev Singh, and Pradeep Singh, both residents of Navinagar, are also involved in the conversion activities. Based on this complaint, Kotwal Manju Pandey confirmed that a case had been registered against the accused and that an investigation had been initiated. Subsequently, a cross FIR was also lodged in the matter. In a separate complaint, the accused Gauri Singh Rana also raised a complaint on 19 April claiming that several individuals entered his house, assaulted those present, issued death threats, used abusive language and engaged in acts of molestation and indecency towards women. Police registered this cross-case and began an investigation. Following the incident, the administrative authorities took cognisance of the matter. Additional District Magistrate Pankaj Upadhyay held a meeting with public representatives and villagers at the Nagar Panchayat office and later visited Deennagar village to gather information. Villagers stated that religious conversion activities had been ongoing for a long time and continued despite objections. A memorandum was submitted to the administration, led by BJP State Vice President Shripal Singh Rana, demanding strict action to stop the ongoing conversions. It was stated that in villages such as Navinagar, Deennagar, Sisaikheda, Dohra, Nagla and Mohammadpur Bhudia, people, especially those from tribal and scheduled caste communities, were being influenced and pressured into religious conversion through inducements and intimidation. The administrative team, including Additional District Magistrate Upadhyay and Sub-Divisional Magistrate Tushar Saini, conducted further inquiry into the matter, and the investigation remained ongoing.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is added to the tracker under the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. The sub-category selected is- Conversion/attempts to convert by inducements. 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 sub-category selected is - Harassment, threats, coercion for conversion. Harassment covers a wide range of behaviours of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behaviour that demeans, humiliates, and intimidates a person, including threats and coercion. Harassment and threats, in this case, find their root on discriminatory grounds, which has the effect of nullifying a person’s rights or infringing upon his freedom to exercise his right specifically owing to the victim’s religious identity. Verbal and physical threats and psychological or physical harassment are often used against Hindu victims because they choose to practice their professed religion. Religious harassment also includes forced and involuntary conversions by harassment, threats or coercion. Coercion includes intimidatory tactics like force-feeding a Hindu victim beef to convert to another religion, forceful circumcision, etc. In several cases documented, non-Hindu perpetrators or those who harbour specific animosity towards Hinduism, harass victims simply based on their religious identity. Such cases often also include harassment to ensure the Hindu victim abandons his/her professed religion and adopts the religion of the perpetrator. Such cases, where Hindu victims are harassed to convert to the perpetrator’s religion, are rooted in animosity towards the victim’s religious identity and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. The other sub-category selected is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. The tertiary category is- 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. This case has been added to the tracker because Hindus were lured, offered inducements and threatened to abandon their religion and convert to Christianity. Firstly, the manner in which these activities were carried out over eight years showed a structured, deliberate attempt to influence Hindus. What appeared outwardly as routine religious gatherings served as spaces where repeated engagement slowly shaped beliefs and detached individuals from their existing faith. This was not a one-off interaction but a sustained process designed to normalise conversion. Secondly, inducements played a central role in this effort. Hindu women and children were specifically targeted by promising free education and medical assistance, along with offers of money to persuade Hindus to convert. Such incentives, when directed at vulnerable individuals, are not genuine acts of help but calculated tools of pressure. They create a situation where conversion is presented as a pathway to relief, thereby undermining the element of free and informed choice. Such patterns have been observed in several instances where vulnerable Hindus are specifically targeted through a mix of emotional appeal and material benefit. This form of influence weakens personal agency and gradually pushes individuals towards decisions they may not otherwise make under normal circumstances. Thirdly, when inducements failed, threats were used. Pressuring Hindus to abandon their faith through intimidation directly attacked their religious identity and dignity. This shift from persuasion to coercion showed that the objective was not voluntary belief but enforced conversion, removing any real element of consent. Further, repeated concerns raised by villagers in multiple areas indicated that such activities were not isolated incidents. The similarity in methods and the continuation of these efforts suggested a broader and organised pattern of targeting Hindus for conversion. Taken together, the use of inducements, sustained influence, and threats established that this case was not about personal choice but about coercion directed at Hindus because of their religion. The conduct reflected a clear attempt to alter religious identity through pressure and manipulation, bringing it within the scope of a religiously motivated hate crime. Such predatory conversion efforts stem from Abrahamic doctrines like Christianity that view non-believers with disdain until they convert, fostering contempt that manifests in targeted crimes against Hindus. Therefore, this case has been added to the Hinduphobia Tracker's hate crime database.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
