Hindu residents lured with inducements and intimidated for religious conversion by Christian man and associates
Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand, India 
9 May, 2026
Case Summary
In the Gadarpur tehsil area of Udham Singh Nagar district, Uttarakhand, Hindu residents were lured, offered inducements and intimidated for religious conversion by a Christian man named Surendra Sagar and his associates. According to reports, the administration initiated action in Budhiya Colony, Majra Sheela, Ramjivanpur, following complaints regarding religious conversion activities and the operation of an illegal prayer hall in the area. The matter came to light after local residents and Hindu organisations objected to the activities being conducted at the premises and approached the authorities. Subsequently, on 10 May 2026, an administrative inquiry was conducted in the presence of the Additional District Magistrate to investigate the complaints. During the inquiry, officials found that Surendra Sagar, son of Mahavir Sagar, had constructed an illegal prayer hall on residential land where Christian prayer meetings were being conducted. Local residents and Hindu organisations informed the administration that Surendra Sagar and his associates were intimidating and offering inducements to local Hindu residents for religious conversion. They further stated that similar activities were being carried out in nearby villages. As tensions escalated, a large number of locals gathered at the site. Subsequently, on 12 May 2026, an administrative team accompanied by a heavy police force reached the location and pasted an official notice on the premises. The administration directed the Gadarpur Sub-District Magistrate to initiate legal proceedings against Surendra Sagar and others involved in the matter. Additional District Magistrate Kaustubh Mishra stated that District Magistrate Nitin Singh Bhadoria had constituted a special team to investigate the case in detail. The investigation also revealed that the land had been purchased by individuals from outside the state and was being used for purposes other than those permitted. Authorities stated that the complaints raised by local residents were being taken seriously and that necessary instructions had been issued to the concerned officials for further action.
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. The tertiary category selected within it 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. The other sub-category selected here is - Conversion/ attempts to convert by 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 sub-category selected here 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. This case has been added to the tracker because Hindu residents in the Gadarpur area of Udham Singh Nagar were targeted for religious conversion through inducements, intimidation and covert proselytisation activities conducted by a Christian man named Surendra Sagar and his associates. Firstly, what was projected as an ordinary prayer gathering inside a residential premises was, upon administrative investigation, found to be functioning as a centre for organised religious conversion activities. The prayer hall had been constructed illegally on residential land and was being operated for illegal conversion activities without the required permissions from the administration. The covert manner in which the gatherings were conducted, coupled with the absence of official authorisation, demonstrated a deliberate attempt to avoid public scrutiny while carrying out conversion-related activities among local Hindus. By conducting such gatherings covertly, the Christian missionaries sought to manipulate vulnerable Hindus, taking advantage of their emotional and social circumstances to push them towards conversion. Secondly, local residents and Hindu organisations informed the administration that inducements were being offered to Hindus in an effort to influence them to convert to Christianity. Offering incentives or making false promises, especially when directed at vulnerable individuals in need, shows that these incentives are not acts of kindness or charity. Instead, they are calculated moves to exploit vulnerable Hindus because of their religion. By providing inducements in exchange for conversion, the accused were effectively blackmailing those who might have been desperate for assistance or hope. Such instances are seen in many cases where members of Christian missionary groups target socially and economically vulnerable Hindus to further their agenda of religious conversions. This form of coercion strips people of their agency and dignity and results in coerced conversions. These are not random or isolated incidents, but rather cases deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims. Thirdly, residents also stated that intimidation and pressure tactics were being employed against Hindus during these conversion efforts. Any attempt to coerce, threaten or pressure individuals into renouncing their religious identity and embracing another faith constitutes a direct attack on their freedom of conscience and religious dignity. Such actions go beyond interpersonal disputes and reflect hostility towards the victim’s Hindu identity, thereby giving the incident a clear religious dimension. The nature of the conversion activities and their impact on the local Hindu community indicated a targeted attempt to influence Hindus as a religious group. The efforts were directed specifically at Hindu residents through organised prayer gatherings, inducements and pressure tactics aimed at encouraging religious conversion. Such actions go beyond the mere propagation of faith and reflect an attempt to undermine the religious identity and cultural continuity of the Hindu community. The activities were directed at Hindus on the basis of their religious identity; the incident demonstrated a clear religious dimension. 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. This systematic attempt to erode the religious foundation of individuals and replace it with allegiance to another faith reflects deep religious malice and animus against the Hindu identity. Because the core motivation of the act stems from hostility toward the victim’s religion, it meets the threshold of a hate crime. Hence, categorised as a hate crime in the database. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker acknowledges that multiple individuals were involved in the religious conversion activities, including Surendra Sagar and his associates. However, since only Surendra Sagar was explicitly identified in the available reports, the perpetrator count has been recorded as 1.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
