Hindus lured for religious conversion by Christian pastor under guise of prayer gathering in Anuppur, Madhya Pradesh,
Anuppur, Madhya Pradesh, India 
18 September, 2026
Case Summary
In Ward 9 of Anuppur district, Madhya Pradesh, Hindus were lured into religious conversion by Christian Pastor Yeshu Das, who organised a prayer meeting at this house. According to reports, the prayer gathering was organised on 19 September 2026 at the residence of Pastor Yeshu Das, which came under scrutiny after local residents and complainants stated that religious conversion activities were being conducted under the guise of a family function. A large number of Hindu individuals had gathered at the house, with attendees arriving from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and other states, including Kerala. The complainants informed Kotwali police that mass prayers and activities aimed at religious conversion were taking place at the residence and that no permission had been obtained from the police or district administration for the gathering. Police subsequently reached the house and questioned those present. However, Pastor Yeshu Das and the homeowner claimed that the gathering was a private family function attended by relatives and acquaintances. Police station in-charge Sanjay Ashok Ekka said that the concerns regarding the gathering and religious conversion were being investigated and that a list of 55 people present at the site had been prepared, with statements being recorded. He stated that further legal action would be taken on the basis of facts and evidence emerging from the investigation.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of: Predatory Proselytisation. Within this, the sub-category selected is: Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. 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. This case was significant from a hate-crime perspective because the conduct centred on targeting Hindu individuals on the basis of their religious identity with the objective of converting them to Christianity. What was presented as a simple prayer gathering inside a house 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. The religious dimension was particularly significant because conversion seeks to alter a person's religious affiliation, which is a fundamental component of religious identity. Where conversion is pursued through organised religious activity directed at members of another faith, the conduct can constitute an attack on the community's religious identity, especially when it involves pressure, inducement, deception or other means that undermine genuine and voluntary choice. The hate-crime dimension therefore arose from the targeting of religious identity itself. 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. In such cases, Christian missionary groups often target and brainwash socially and economically vulnerable Hindus to further their agenda of religious conversions. 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 victim count has been recorded as 55 based on the police-prepared list of 55 people who were present at the gathering.
Victim Details
Total Victim
55
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 55
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 55
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 55
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
