Hindu farmer offered inducements and pressured to convert to Islam; land occupied, crops destroyed for refusing conversion

Case ID : 30a8f48 | Location : Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Sun, 9 November, 2025

Case ID : 30a8f48

Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh, India

9 November, 2025

Hindu farmer offered inducements and pressured to convert to Islam; land occupied, crops destroyed for refusing conversion

Predatory Proselytisation

Conversion/ attempts to convert by inducement

Harassment, threats, coercion for conversion

Case Summary

In the Ahirori village of Hardoi district, Uttar Pradesh. Kallu Prajapati, a Hindu farmer, stated that several neighbours had been pressuring him for a long period to convert to Islam. To persuade him, they offered money, land, and the prospect of marriage to a Muslim woman. When he refused to abandon his Hindu faith, the perpetrators adopted a hostile attitude towards him and targeted him economically. Kallu Prajapati, son of Sobaran, stated that he was a small farmer who owned agricultural land situated on plot number 1805, west of the Harsinghpur culvert. He stated that for a prolonged period, his Muslim neighbours had been pressuring him to convert from Hinduism to Islam. He said that inducements were offered to persuade him to abandon his faith, including promises of land, money, and marriage to a Muslim woman. The Hindu farmer stated that he rejected these proposals because conversion was contrary to his Hindu religion and beliefs. He maintained his refusal despite the repeated efforts made to persuade him to change his faith. According to his account, the pressure to convert continued over an extended period before the dispute escalated further. Following his refusal to convert, Kallu Prajapati stated that the individuals involved adopted a hostile attitude towards him. He said that on 10 November 2025, his agricultural land was measured in collusion with a local accountant despite there being no competent court order or administrative direction authorising such action. He stated that the process was carried out against his interests and formed part of the continuing dispute that followed his refusal to abandon his Hindu faith. Following the measurement, a portion of his farmland was fenced off and occupied. During the process, his standing wheat crop was damaged, causing financial loss. Kallu Prajapati further stated that the southern boundary of his field measured approximately 22 metres, whereas the adjoining field measured only about 8 metres, yet around 60 metres of land, including village community land, had been brought under unauthorised occupation. Kallu Prajapati stated that he repeatedly submitted written complaints and petitions seeking intervention and restoration of his land. He said that despite these representations, no effective action was taken for a considerable period. He continued to seek relief through official channels while maintaining that the dispute stemmed from his refusal to convert from Hinduism. The Hindu farmer subsequently submitted a petition seeking intervention from the Chief Minister. In his petition, he requested the removal of the encroachment, restoration of the land to its original condition, compensation for crop losses, and legal action against those whom he identified as having pressured him to convert. He also sought an impartial inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the land measurement, occupation of the field, and damage to the crop. The matter later came under official review. Sub Divisional Magistrate Sadar Mayank Kundu stated that the case was being investigated and that further action would be taken on the basis of the findings of the inquiry. At the time of reporting, the Hindu farmer's complaints regarding conversion pressure, land occupation, and crop damage remained under examination by the authorities.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category - Predatory Proselytisation. Within this, the subcategory selected 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 subcategory selected in this case 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 qualifies as a religiously motivated hate crime because the Hindu victim was subjected to sustained efforts to abandon his faith and convert to Islam through inducements, followed by retaliation when he refused. Religion was central to both the method used and the harm that followed, as the victim was specifically targeted because he was Hindu and unwilling to renounce his religious identity. The offer of land, money, and marriage to a Muslim woman was significant because these benefits were made in an effort to convert the Hindu farmer to abandon Hinduism and convert to Islam. 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 in exchange for conversion, the accused were effectively blackmailing those who might have been desperate for assistance or hope. 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. The fact that conversion was presented as the condition for receiving these benefits demonstrates a deliberate effort to weaken and replace the victim's Hindu identity, making the conduct inherently religious in nature. The harassment and coercion that followed his refusal further reinforce the religious motivation behind the incident. After the farmer rejected conversion, actions were taken that affected his agricultural land and economic situation The damage to his wheat crop and the occupation of part of his land were particularly significant because they targeted his livelihood and economic security in an effort to convert to Islam. When such harm follows a refusal to abandon one's faith, it becomes a means of punishment and pressure rather than a simple property dispute. The conduct sought to impose consequences on the victim for remaining Hindu and resisting conversion. The combination of inducements to convert and adverse actions after refusal demonstrates a pattern in which conversion was rewarded while adherence to Hinduism was met with retaliation. This reflects a clear disregard for the victim's religious freedom and his right to maintain his Hindu identity without fear of economic harm. This incident reflects a broader pattern in which Hindu individuals are targeted with inducements and coercive tactics to secure religious conversion. The victim was offered land, money, and marriage in exchange for abandoning his Hindu faith. When he refused, he faced hostility that extended to his livelihood, including the occupation of land and damage to standing crops. This stems from inherent hostility towards the victim's professed faith since Abrahamic faiths believe that any non-adherent to the faith is subject to being dehumanised till they convert. Such predatory actions stem from doctrinal animosity towards the Hindu faith and its adherents. Given that this case met the parameters of a religiously motivated hate crime, it was added to the hate crime database of the tracker. Disclaimer: It is important to clarify that none of the media sources covering this case have specified the exact date when the victim's ordeal began. The earliest date mentioned is 10 November 2025, when his agricultural land was measured in collusion with a local accountant. Since Hinduphobia Tracker records the incident based on when the victim’s ordeal began and not when it was reported, we have considered the date of the incident as 10 November 2025, though the media reported the incident on 13 June 2026.