Hindus lured into conversion by Christians under the guise of prayer meetings
Shrawasti, Uttar Pradesh, India 
1 March, 2025
Case Summary
In Bhagwanpur Bakat village, Shravasti, Uttar Pradesh, Hindus were lured and converted to Christianity under the guise of attending prayer meetings. The target of the Christian prayer meeting was to convert the economically and socially vulnerable Hindus to Christianity. The Christian missionary was identified as Harish Singh. According to the villagers, the Christian meetings were organised every Sunday and were attended by several people from non-Christian backgrounds, including Hindus. Even the people from the nearby districts like Balrampur, Bahraich, and Gonda used to attend these prayer meetings. Hindus attended these prayer meetings thinking that it would help them to overcome their physical and mental ailments. Hindu activists accused the organiser of converting many Hindus by giving them false promises that faith in Jesus would solve all their problems. Hindu organisations like Vishva Hindu Parishad and Vishva Hindu Mahasangh informed the police about the prayer meeting, and an FIR was registered against Harish Singh. However, Harish Singh managed to flee from the spot. The police began an investigation and reached Harish's house, but it was locked. According to the police, Harish Singh was from Punjab, but he travelled between Punjab and Shravasti to organise such prayer meetings and convert the Hindus to Christianity. The police suspected that Harish might have fled to Punjab. Superintendent of Police (SP) Ghanshyam Chaurasia said that a case had been registered against Harish based on the video evidence of the prayer meeting provided to the police by Vishva Hindu Parishad activists.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Predatory proselytisation. Under this, the first sub-category selected is- Conversion/attempts to convert through 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. The second sub-category under which this case has been placed is- Proselytisation by brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. Within this, the tertiary category selected is- 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. Here, the use of a prayer gathering as a cover suggests that the individual involved may have been using indirect methods to lure or convince individuals into conversion, possibly targeting vulnerable Hindus by exploiting their emotional, social, or religious needs. Further, the Christian evangelists attempted to convert Hindus through false promises of curing ailments. The use of inducements to convert individuals is indeed a common tactic in efforts to influence or manipulate vulnerable individuals into changing their faith. This approach often targets economically disadvantaged groups, offering material benefits such as food, medicines, money, or livestock in exchange for conversion. It creates a form of dependency that can alienate individuals from their original faith, as they may feel compelled to convert not out of genuine belief but due to immediate needs or financial pressures. Here, too, the Christian evangelists adopted a similar tactic of exploiting the vulnerability of the Hindus to convert them to Christianity. It is also mentioned that the Christian missionary travelled between Punjab and Shravasti to organise such prayer meetings and convert the Hindus to Christianity. This suggests a pattern of targeting vulnerable Hindus for the purpose of conversion. The entire operation, from luring Hindus under false pretences to attempting to convert them through promises of divine intervention, in fact, points to a clear pattern of predatory proselytisation. The deliberate targeting of Hindus for conversion using manipulation and deceit makes this a religiously motivated act, warranting its inclusion in the tracker.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
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