Vulnerable Hindus systematically targeted, mislead against their faith, and offered inducements for conversion by Christian conversion network
Lakhimpur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
3 June, 2026
Case Summary
Poor, sick, and economically vulnerable Hindus were systematically targeted and persuaded to embrace Christianity through promises of healing, relief from financial hardship, and solutions to personal difficulties by a large-scale religious conversion network operating in Lakhimpur Kheri district, Uttar Pradesh. The conversion network was operated by Pastor Vijay and was exposed through a media sting operation conducted by Dainik Bhaskar. The operation uncovered the functioning of secret churches near the India–Nepal border, where conversion activities were carried out discreetly without signboards, religious symbols, or public identification in order to avoid scrutiny. To infiltrate the network, a reporter posed as a Hindu labourer and worked in the area for approximately twenty days. During this period, he cultivated contacts among local residents and presented himself as a poor and unwell Hindu individual struggling with financial and personal problems. His circumstances were communicated to Pastor Vijay, a Nepal-origin Christian preacher who had reportedly been operating in the region for several decades and conducting conversion activities through a secret church run from his residence. The reporter was subsequently invited to attend a gathering at the church, where Pastor Vijay, along with several associates, began a process of religious persuasion centred on promises of divine intervention and miraculous improvement in his condition. During the interaction, Pastor Vijay and his associates repeatedly linked the reporter’s difficulties to his existing Hindu religious practices and encouraged him to abandon Hindu customs. A government school teacher named Shiv Prasad Gautam, who had embraced Christianity, and his wife participated in the discussions and presented their own experiences as evidence of the benefits of accepting Jesus. The group assured the reporter that his suffering, addiction, and financial troubles would be resolved through Christian prayer. As part of the process, they instructed him to distance himself from Hindu worship and remove symbols associated with his faith. When they noticed the sacred thread (kalava) tied around his wrist, they stated that such objects prevented prayers from taking effect. A blade was brought, and the sacred thread was cut from the reporter’s wrist. Hindu rituals, amulets, Ganga water, idol worship, and other religious practices were portrayed as obstacles to spiritual healing and were discouraged. The investigation further revealed that the conversion process extended beyond a single meeting. The reporter was encouraged to maintain regular contact with Pastor Vijay through daily phone calls and was repeatedly instructed not to participate in Hindu religious practices. During subsequent meetings, another preacher from Nepal, identified as Pastor Jeevan, conducted prayers and guided the reporter through a formal acceptance of Jesus. The reporter was made to repeat declarations of faith and surrender his life to Jesus as part of the conversion ritual. He was informed that he should no longer perform puja, light incense sticks, or engage in idol worship. The pastors also advised him not to immediately disclose his conversion to his family and suggested that his wife could later be persuaded to adopt the same faith. As the sting operation progressed, the reporter documented a larger gathering attended by dozens of individuals. At this event, participants who had previously converted from Hinduism to Christianity described how they had abandoned Hindu worship after joining the group. During the ceremony, attendees were served a red-coloured drink described as the “holy blood” of Jesus and were told that it would help cure illness and relieve personal problems. The reporter was publicly introduced to the gathering and subjected to further prayers, marking what organisers described as the completion of the conversion process. The investigation revealed that the network functioned through local contacts spread across villages who identified vulnerable individuals and directed them towards the secret church. Poor families, labourers, and people facing illness were specifically approached and encouraged to attend prayer meetings. The operation also revealed links between the local network and individuals based in Nepal, including a senior religious figure identified as Ravi Sharma from Kathmandu. According to conversations recorded during the sting, meetings were conducted discreetly, vehicles were kept inside premises to avoid attention, and no visible church signage was displayed. Individuals associated with the network acknowledged that gatherings were kept hidden due to fear of opposition and public scrutiny. The investigation revealed a structured system of persuasion in which vulnerable Hindus were encouraged to renounce traditional religious practices and gradually adopt Christianity through a combination of religious instruction, social influence, promises of healing, and sustained engagement.
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 here is - Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination, with the tertiary category being - 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 - Attempting to convert/converting by denigrating Hinduism. In several cases, Hindus are converted or an attempt is made to convert Hindus by denigrating their faith, Hinduism. In such cases, the Hindus associate with the non-Hindu perpetrators often by choice and then, the attempt to convert them by insulting their faith, showing the faith down etc begins. An example of this would be a non-Hindu gathering where the Hindus are attending the gathering of their own free will. However, once they attend the gathering, there is an explicit attempt to convert them by abusing their faith and hailing the faith of the perpetrator. The denigration of the Hindu faith is often based on misrepresentation of the Hindu faith, its doctrine and scriptures and insult to espoused traditions if not blatant lies about Hindu beliefs and ways. Such conversions or attempts at conversions are driven by animosity towards the Hindu faith and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. The other primary category selected here is - Attack on Hindu religious representations. Within it, the sub-category selected is - Desecration of Hindu religious symbols. Icons and symbols or a religious representation of a spiritual ideal are widely revered in Hinduism. Iconography is of vital significance in the Hindu milieu. It helps connect people’s spiritual beliefs with the real world. Iconography within the Hindu faith takes several shapes and forms. Murtis are of most significance to Hindus, to which daily rituals, prayers and offerings are done. Besides the murtis, there are several other symbols which have deep significance in the Hindu faith – the Om and Swastika for example. Since these Hindu religious symbols hold paramount importance in Hinduism, any desecration of symbols, icons, murtis, religious representations and manifestations, is driven by animosity towards the faith itself which manifests itself through these murtis, icons and symbols. Therefore, any desecration of these Hindu religious symbols and representations is considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. This case has been added to the tracker because vulnerable Hindus were systematically targeted for religious conversion through inducements, religious denigration, and brainwashed to abandon their faith and religious practices. The investigation revealed an organised network that specifically identified poor, sick, and economically distressed individuals and approached them with promises that their illnesses, addictions, financial hardships, and personal problems would be resolved if they accepted Christianity. Targeting vulnerable individuals on the basis of their religious identity and exploiting their difficult circumstances to persuade them to abandon their faith constitutes a form of religiously motivated targeting. Firstly, a significant feature of this case was the use of inducements and promises of personal benefit to encourage vulnerable Hindus to embrace 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 religion. By providing inducements or promising healing 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. Secondly, the repeated emphasis on prayer and healing meetings is also significant because these gatherings functioned as a vehicle for drawing vulnerable Hindus away from their existing faith and towards another religion. The meetings were built around the idea that personal suffering could be alleviated through participation in Christian prayers and continued association with the conversion network. By presenting Christianity as uniquely capable of providing healing and relief while simultaneously targeting people in distress, the organisers created an environment in which religious conversion was framed as the pathway to solving personal problems. Furthermore, that was presented as a simple prayer gathering 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. The organisers deliberately held the meeting in secrecy and without permission from the administration, indicating a deliberate and deceptive strategy designed to avoid public attention and scrutiny. 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. Thirdly, another concerning aspect of the case was the systematic denigration and misrepresentation of Hindu beliefs and practices. During the conversion process, Hindu rituals, idol worship, sacred threads, amulets, Ganga water, temple worship, and other religious observances were portrayed as ineffective or as obstacles preventing prayers from being answered. This goes beyond religious debate or proselytisation; it constitutes an act of incitement and insult directed at the core beliefs of the Hindu community. Such remarks are designed to demean and undermine the faith of Hindus and intend to create an inferiority complex in the minds of the victims against their own faith. This fosters an environment of hostility and disrespect towards the Hindu community and Hindu deities. These acts of insulting Hinduism stem from Christian theology, which harbours disdain and hatred for polytheistic faiths, and which categorises Hindus as ‘polytheists’, thereby fostering hatred against them. Such actions make the religiously motivated nature of the crime even more evident. Fourth, the cutting of the reporter's kalava (sacred thread) represented a direct act of disrespect towards an important Hindu religious symbol. The sacred thread is commonly worn by Hindus as an expression of faith and religious observance. During the interaction, the conversion facilitators insisted that the kalava had to be removed because it allegedly prevented Christian prayers from working. A blade was then brought, and the sacred thread was cut from the reporter's wrist and taken away. This was not merely the removal of an object but a symbolic act intended to sever the individual's visible connection with his Hindu faith. By portraying the sacred thread as an obstacle and physically removing it as part of the conversion process, the individuals involved demonstrated hostility towards a recognised Hindu religious symbol and encouraged the rejection of Hindu religious identity in favour of another faith. . The nature of the conversion efforts and the wider impact on the Hindu community all indicate a targeted action against Hindus as a collectivity. When individuals or groups focus their efforts on converting members of a particular religion, in this case, Hindus, then it demonstrates a fundamental disregard for the Hindu faith. Conversion, especially when not based on personal conviction but rather on external persuasion or pressure, is not simply about sharing a different belief system. It is an attempt to undermine the values, traditions, and identity of the Hindu community. In this context, the Christian perpetrators specifically targeted Hindus, which demonstrates a lack of respect for Hinduism and its followers. Such actions are carried out to strip Hindu victims of their faith, making it a religiously motivated hate crime. 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. These tactics are designed not as acts of charity but as tools to engineer religious change under the guise of social upliftment, particularly among vulnerable and underprivileged communities. 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 records incidents based on when an event occurred or when the victim's ordeal began. It is important to clarify that none of the media sources covering this case has specified the exact date when the conversion activities began. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date based on when the incident was reported in the media, 4 June 2026. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker acknowledges that there may have been additional individuals involved in the conversion network described in the investigation. The reports referred to a wider network of associates operating across multiple villages, some of whom were not identified by name. However, since only four individuals, Pastor Vijay, Pastor Jeevan, Shiv Prasad Gautam, and Shiv Prasad Gautam's wife, were explicitly identified and directly linked to the conversion activities in the available sources, the number of perpetrators has been recorded as 4 for the purposes of this database. This figure may be revised if further information identifying additional participants becomes available.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
