Attempt to convert Dalit Hindus in Uttar Pradesh under the grab of 'Sunday Prayers', two Indian Christians and three Nepali nationals caught
Uttar Pradesh, India 
21 September, 2024
Case Summary
In the Bhedihari village of Uttar Pradesh, which is situated in the area of the Indian-Nepalese border, Christian missionaries were organising 'Sunday Prayers' in the village to convert Dalit Hindus to Christianity. On September 22, 2025, three Nepali National citizens named Bhim Bahadur Gurung, his wife, Vishnu Gaya Devi, and Meena Kshatriya and two Indian Christians named Mangal and Jagarnath were arrested by the local police for converting the members of the Dalit Hindu community to Christianity. “We came to know about it through news reports and local sources. The matter is under investigation. Hence, it is too early to say anything,” said Pastor Jiya Lal, based in Sultanpur district in Uttar Pradesh. In February, the police arrested four Christians from the same locality, Lal added. “However, we have no updates in that case,” the pastor told the media. The Musahar community is a declared scheduled caste of Dalits under the Indian constitution, living in the northern Indian states of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. They are reported to be the poorest among the Dalits. Religious conversions and proselytisation are banned in Uttar Pradesh, but despite this, Christian missionaries are actively proselytising to gain new converts, especially from the SC and ST communities.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of- Predatory Proselytisation, and within thism 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. Here, the use of a prayer gathering as a cover suggests that the individuals involved may have been using indirect methods to lure or convince others into conversion, possibly targeting vulnerable people by exploiting their emotional, social, or religious needs. As such, this constitutes a religiously motivated hate crime as actions like these are driven by intolerance towards the victim's religious identity and aim to coerce them into abandoning their faith.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
