Hindu residents lured under guise of prayer meeting and indoctrinated with religious texts for Christian conversion
Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
7 May, 2026
Case Summary
In the Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh, Hindu residents, including women, were lured and indoctrinated with religious texts for religious conversion by Christian evangelists. The perpetrators were operating under the guise of Bhim Army banners and posters to mislead villagers and conceal the conversion activities. The police conducted a raid in the Jangipur police station area on 8 May 2026 after receiving information about religious conversion activities being carried out under the guise of a prayer meeting. Acting on a tip-off, police raided a house near the Mandi Committee in the Jangipur area, where a meeting was underway at the time of the operation. During the raid, police detained four individuals at the spot and recovered five copies of the Bible and other Christian religious literature. According to the police investigation, the gathering was being used to lure and influence Hindu individuals for religious conversion. Police stated that villagers in Taranpur village were being misled through Bhim Army banners and posters while efforts were being made to convert them from Hinduism to Christianity. The main accused, identified as Pastor Ramesh Kumar Chanchal, was found to be encouraging people to convert. Following the raid, police registered a named FIR against Ramesh Kumar Chanchal, Vijendra Kumar, Vishnu, and Pradeep, along with around a dozen unidentified persons. The police also stated that searches were underway to trace the absconding accused connected to the alleged conversion network. As news of the detentions spread, Bhim Army activists and supporters gathered outside the Jangipur police station and staged a sit-in protest demanding the immediate release of the accused. The protest was led by Bhim Army Youth Front District President Virendra Kumar. Hundreds of men and women gathered outside the Jangipur police station and raised slogans against the police while demanding the immediate release of those detained. The protest continued for several hours, from around 2 pm until 8 pm, prompting additional police deployment from Birno police station to maintain order. CO City Shekhar Sengar later intervened and pacified the protesters through persuasion, after which the situation was brought under control. Police stated that a detailed investigation into the entire matter was underway.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of - Predatory Proselytisation. Within it, the sub-category 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. This case has been added to the tracker because Hindu residents, including women, were lured and indoctrinated with religious texts for religious conversion by Christian evangelists. Firstly, the Hindu victims were lured for religious conversion under the guise of a prayer meeting. What was presented as a simple prayer gathering inside a house was, in reality, a covert attempt at religious conversion. These were not genuine community prayers but calculated efforts to exploit the trust of Hindus and manipulate them into abandoning their faith. By conducting such gatherings in a covert manner, under the guise of Bhim Army banners and posters to mislead villagers and conceal the conversion activities, the Christian missionaries sought to manipulate vulnerable Hindus, taking advantage of their emotional and social circumstances to push them towards conversion. Such covert religious gatherings are significant because they conceal conversion-oriented activities behind socially acceptable and informal religious assemblies, thereby reducing suspicion and making it easier to gradually influence vulnerable individuals. By disguising conversion efforts as harmless prayer meetings, the accused allegedly attempted to exploit the trust and religious vulnerability of Hindu attendees while encouraging them to abandon their native faith. Secondly, police also recovered religious books related to Christianity, which were being used to convert Hindu residents. 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, represents a direct attack on the Hindu faith. Such actions are designed to violate and undermine the beliefs of Hindu victims and are clear indicators of religious hostility towards Hindus and their religious identity. Such actions further demonstrate 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. Another significant aspect of this case was the organised and concealed nature of the activity. According to police, the gathering was presented as a routine prayer meeting, but the subsequent raid, detention of multiple individuals, recovery of Christian religious literature, and registration of an FIR indicated a coordinated effort rather than an isolated private act of worship. The presence of a large gathering, coupled with police statements that attendees were being lured towards religious conversion, demonstrated that vulnerable Hindu residents were being systematically targeted through repeated religious meetings conducted under a socially acceptable pretext. Such concealment of conversion-oriented activities behind informal prayer assemblies reflected a deliberate attempt to avoid scrutiny while gradually influencing participants towards abandoning their native faith. The Christian faith, by its very theological foundations, places a strong emphasis on proselytisation. In pursuit of conversion objectives, Christian evangelists often employ unethical means, ranging from psychological pressure and misinformation to inducements such as money or jobs. In such cases, Christian missionary groups often target and brainwash socially and economically vulnerable Hindus to further their agenda of religious conversions. This form of coercion strips Hindus of their agency and dignity and enforces forced conversions. These are not random or isolated incidents, but rather premeditated efforts to undermine the Hindu faith, persuade Hindus to discard their own faith, and convert to Christianity. Such acts were deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims, and thus, this case was added to the tracker. Disclaimer: Media reports stated that the FIR named four accused, Ramesh Kumar Chanchal, Vijendra Kumar, Vishnu, and Pradeep, along with around 12 unidentified individuals. Therefore, the number of perpetrators has been recorded as 16 for documentation purposes.
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 10 to 100
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
