Hindu man offered better jobs for religious conversion by Christian preacher, arrested in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh

Case ID : 30a918a | Location : Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Mon, 22 June, 2026

Case ID : 30a918a

Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, India

22 June, 2026

Hindu man offered better jobs for religious conversion by Christian preacher, arrested in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh

Predatory Proselytisation

Conversion/ attempts to convert by inducement

Case Summary

In Puranpur's Ramnagar village, under the Hazara police station area, a Hindu man, sitting at his shop, was approached by a Christian preacher to convert to Christianity. The preacher promised him better jobs if he converted to Christianity. When the victim resisted, the accused issued death threats. As per reports, on Tuesday, 23 June 2026, Rajiv Kumar, the victim, was seated at his shop in Ramnagar village when Rama Rajbhar, the accused, arrived carrying a Christian religious book. Rajbhar introduced himself as a Christian preacher and pressed Kumar to convert, promising a job and money as incentives. Kumar called other villagers to the spot. When the assembled community collectively opposed Rajbhar, he responded by abusing them and threatening to kill them. A report was subsequently filed at the Police station. CO Law Bhushan Maurya confirmed that the accused had been arrested and that legal proceedings had been initiated. Rajbhar's motorcycle was seized. A religious book and photographs were recovered from his possession.

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 - 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. This case was included in the Hinduphobia Tracker because a Hindu man was deliberately targeted for religious conversion by a Christian preacher who sought to persuade him to abandon his faith and embrace Christianity through inducements. The religious identity of the victim was central to the incident, making it a clear case of hostility directed at a Hindu because of his faith. The accused attempted to influence the victim's religious beliefs by offering material benefits in exchange for conversion. Such inducements were not acts of charity but instruments designed to secure a change in religious identity. By linking economic opportunities to conversion, the accused sought to exploit personal aspirations in order to weaken the victim's attachment to his Hindu faith and draw him towards Christianity. Furthermore, the use of Christian religious literature demonstrated that the act formed part of a deliberate evangelising effort. The objective was not merely to discuss religious beliefs but to persuade a Hindu individual to reject his existing faith. Such conduct directly targeted the religious identity of the victim and reflected an intention to expand one faith at the expense of another. The accused's conduct became even more revealing when resistance was met with threats. The shift from inducement to intimidation showed that the objective was conversion rather than voluntary religious engagement. The threats were intended to pressure those who opposed the conversion attempt and to create fear among Hindus who resisted similar efforts. Taken together, the targeting of a Hindu victim, the use of inducements, the reliance on Christian religious material, and the subsequent threats demonstrated a deliberate and calculated attempt to undermine Hindu religious identity. Since the act was motivated by the victim's faith and sought to pressure him into abandoning it, the incident constituted a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus and was therefore included in the database.