Hindu villagers targeted for Christian conversion under the guise of prayer meeting and faith healing in Deoria, Uttar Pradesh
Deoria, Uttar Pradesh, India 
29 August, 2026
Case Summary
In Bhatni Dadan village of Deshai Deoria block in Deoria district, Uttar Pradesh, Hindu residents were induced to convert to Christianity under the guise of a puja and faith-healing practices. The incident took place at Rampreet Prasad's residence in the Mahuadih police station area on August 30 2026 (Sunday). Three men were subsequently arrested by the police. The incident came to light when Hindu organisations reached a puja organised at Rampreet Prasad’s residence, where several Hindu men and women from the area had gathered. They stated that Christian symbols were placed on the altar during the gathering. They raised concerns that the religious gathering was used to influence people towards religious conversion. They also stated that Hindu villagers were induced to change their religion through promises of money and through faith-healing practices conducted under the guise of jhaad-phoonk (exorcism). Residents stated that a large number of Hindus were induced to convert through such means. Following the information, local people intervened and handed over the persons they identified as being involved in the activity to the police. The police took three persons into custody in connection with the incident. Police station officer Amit Kumar Rai identified them as Rampreet Prasad, Sukhram Prasad and Chandrabhan Singh. The three men were booked for disturbing the peace and were subsequently produced before a court on August 31 2026 (Monday). The court sent all three to jail. The incident generated considerable discussion and speculation in the area. The incident raised concerns among local Hindu residents regarding the use of religious gatherings, inducements and faith-healing practices to influence Hindus towards religious conversion.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
In this case, the primary category selected is: Predatory Proselytisation. The subcategory selected is: Conversion/attempts to convert by inducements. 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 Hindus were targeted for religious conversion through inducements, with a prayer meeting being used as a guise for the conversion activity. The religious identity of those being targeted was central to the conduct, as the objective was to influence Hindus to abandon their existing faith. The conduct involved the use of material benefits and faith-healing practices to influence religious choices. Such methods exploited personal and economic vulnerabilities and sought to make religious change attractive by appealing to external benefits rather than genuine conviction. The use of a prayer meeting as the setting further enabled the conversion effort to be carried out under the appearance of an ordinary religious gathering, while the actual objective was to influence Hindus towards abandoning their existing faith. The incident therefore went beyond ordinary religious preaching or the voluntary sharing of beliefs. The methods used aimed to weaken Hindus' religious attachment by exploiting vulnerabilities and presenting religious change as a means of obtaining material or personal benefits. This undermined genuine religious choice and showed disregard for the religious identity and autonomy of the Hindu community. Taken together, the use of a prayer meeting as a cover, combined with inducements and faith-based methods, demonstrated a deliberate effort to influence vulnerable Hindus and detach them from their existing faith. The conduct reflected a conscious disregard for Hindu religious identity and autonomy. The motive behind the activity was to secure religious conversion by exploiting vulnerabilities and using a seemingly ordinary religious gathering as a vehicle. This made the incident a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus and warranted its inclusion in the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records an incident based on the date on which the victim suffered the ordeal. In this case, the available reports did not specify when the conversion-related activities took place. Therefore, the date the incident was reported in the media has been recorded as the incident date for documentation purposes.
Case Status
Perpetrator held guilty by court
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
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