Poor Hindus lured to convert to Christianity under the guise of 'prayer meeting'; offered money, threatened for not complying
Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, India 
3 April, 2025
Case Summary
In Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, four individuals have been arrested for engaging in unlawful religious conversion activities. According to the FIR, the accused—Vrindavan, Vivek, Shatrughan, Rakesh, and their associates were involved in conducting illegal conversions in Bhavram Bojhi village, falling under the jurisdiction of Lalganj police station. A local resident who filed the complaint stated that he was initially enticed with monetary offers to embrace Christianity. When he refused, he was threatened that he and his family would suffer from illnesses if they did not convert. The accused were reportedly distributing missionary literature and pamphlets during a ‘prayer meeting’ held on Sunday, 30 March. Following the written complaint, the police raided the location and arrested the four accused. They were charged under Sections 3 and 5 of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, as well as Section 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of- Predatory proselytisation. Under this, the sub-category 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. The case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Predatory proselytisation. Under this, the sub-category selected 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. The third sub-category relevant here is- Harassment, threat, coercion for conversion. Harassment covers a wide range of behaviours of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behaviour that demeans, humiliates, and intimidates a person, including threats and coercion. Harassment and threats, in this case, find their root on discriminatory grounds which has the effect of nullifying a person’s rights or infringing upon his freedom to exercise his right specifically owing to the victim’s religious identity. Verbal and physical threats and psychological or physical harassment are often used against Hindu victims because they choose to practice their professed religion. Religious harassment also includes forced and involuntary conversions by harassment, threats or coercion. Coercion includes intimidatory tactics like force-feeding a Hindu victim beef to convert to another religion, forceful circumcision etc. In several cases documented, non-Hindu perpetrators or those who harbour specific animosity towards Hinduism, harass victims simply based on their religious identity. Such cases often also include harassment to ensure the Hindu victim abandons his/her professed religion and adopts the religion of the perpetrator. Such cases where Hindu victims are harassed to convert to the perpetrator’s religion are rooted in animosity towards the victim’s religious identity and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. In this particular case, the Christian evangelists were attempting to exploit a specific vulnerability of the victims who were, in all likelihood, economically backward. The missionaries exploited the poor victims by offering them money. Since exploiting vulnerabilities for the explicit purpose of conversion is purely based on animosity towards the victim's faith, this case has been categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime. Further, 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 individuals by exploiting their emotional, social, or religious needs. Moreover, the recovery of books related to Christian conversion solidifies the allegations that Hindus were being brainwashed and manipulated into converting to Christianity. The threats directed towards the victims are also a direct result of their doctrinal and intrinsic animosity against Hinduism. The entire operation, from luring poor Hindus under false pretences to attempting to convert them, in fact, points to a clear pattern of predatory proselytisation. The deliberate targeting of vulnerable Hindus for conversion using manipulation and deceit makes this a religiously motivated act, warranting its inclusion in the tracker.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
