Minor Hindu students forced to watch Christian propaganda movie by missionary schools in Tamil Nadu
Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India 
23 November, 2025
Case Summary
In Vellore, Tamil Nadu, minor Hindu students studying in Christian missionary schools were forced by school authorities to watch "The Face of the Faceless", a newly released Christian propaganda movie depicting the life of a Christian nun. This activity had been conducted by several Christian missionary institutions across the region. A video surfaced on social media that showed a Christian pastor escorting students into Vishnu Cinemas in Katpadi to watch the film. The footage went viral, sparking widespread debate and criticism. Hindu parents stated that their children had been shown the film over the weekend without their prior knowledge or consent. Hindu Munnani, a Hindu organisation, State Executive Member Mahesh said it was unlawful for private school administrations to take children to cinema theatres without obtaining written consent from parents or guardians. He questioned whether the Government of Tamil Nadu had granted approval or issued any recommendation for screening a religiously themed film to school students. Mahesh added that the School Education Department must clarify its position and urged the District Education Officer and the Minister for School Education to take disciplinary action against the schools involved in this incident. Hindu Munnani leaders further noted that in previous years, the School Education Department had taken stern measures against government schools when speakers delivering Hindu spiritual or philosophical lectures were considered to have crossed official boundaries. They questioned whether similar standards would be upheld for private Christian institutions promoting religious content among students. Previously, in September 2024, a controversy had erupted in Chennai after motivational speaker Mahavishnu from the Paramporul Foundation addressed students in government schools at Ashok Nagar and Saidapet during Teacher’s Day celebrations. His session included references to rebirth, karma, ancient Gurukula education, mantras said to possess supernatural abilities, and philosophical concepts linking past-life actions to present circumstances. A staff member objected, stating that he had been invited solely for a motivational session, which led to a heated exchange that later went viral on social media. Dravidian organisations criticised the speech as unscientific, prompting the Minister for School Education, Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, to visit the school, order an inquiry, and promise strict action. This subdued response from the government to the missionary school issue stood in sharp contrast to its reaction during the Mahavishnu controversy. Hindu Munnani representatives demanded an immediate investigation and strict action against the Christian-run schools involved in this incident.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is being added to the tracker under the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. The subcategory selected is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. The tertiary categories selected are- 'Conversion of Minor' and 'Pattern of targeting Hindus'. 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. In this case, Hindu children across several Christian missionary schools in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, were forcibly compelled by school authorities to watch 'The Face of the Faceless', a Christian propaganda film portraying the life of a nun. The screenings took place in cinema theatres such as Vishnu Cinemas, Katpadi, without the knowledge or consent of the children’s parents. Taking minors to religiously themed films can only be justified with prior parental consent and without any element of compulsion. Notably, multiple missionary institutions were involved, making it clear that this was not an isolated occurrence but a coordinated and well-organised pattern of religious influence. This deliberate and systematic act of coercion specifically targeted Hindu minors and represented an attempt to impose Christian religious content upon them under the pretext of an educational or cultural activity. Given that minors are legally and morally incapable of providing informed consent, this forced exposure represented a clear exploitation of their vulnerability. Children lack the cognitive maturity to recognise religious propaganda or comprehend its long-term implications. By compelling Hindu students to participate in such viewings, the perpetrators exploited their age and trust in the schooling system to condition their minds. The absence of parental consent further compounded the violation, as it removed the protective oversight necessary in situations involving religious content. Although the Christian offenders did not announce explicit conversion drives, the act reflected a more subtle and insidious form of indoctrination. Introducing Christian narratives to Hindu children under institutional authority amounted to a covert attempt at faith manipulation. Such predatory proselytisation relies not on overt force but on gradual psychological conditioning—using media, imagery, and repetition to erode the child’s connection to their native Hindu faith. These carefully orchestrated efforts by Christian missionary institutions manifest a deliberate attempt to introduce Christianity into the lives of young Hindus, gradually weakening their spiritual roots and religious identity. This coordinated pattern of exploitation and religious subversion reveals deep-seated hostility towards the Hindu faith. It reflects a form of anti-Hindu hate crime wherein the perpetrators used their position of authority to impose Christian faith on vulnerable Hindu children. By deliberately targeting Hindu minors and engaging in subtle religious conditioning without the consent of the parents, these institutions committed an act that qualifies as religiously motivated predatory proselytisation. Considering its targeted nature and ideological objective, this case meets the parameters of an anti-Hindu hate crime and has therefore been entered into the Hinduphobia Tracker’s hate crime database. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records the dates of incidents based on when the crimes actually occur rather than when they are reported by the media. However, in this particular case, the media report has not specified the exact date of the incident. Therefore, for documentation purposes, 24th November 2025—the date when the media report was published—is being used as the indicative date of the incident.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
