Hindus including children induced to convert to Christianity by offering incentives, denigrating Hindu deities, and brainwashing
Faridpur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
12 July, 2025
Case Summary
In Faridpur town, in the Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh, Hindus were enticed to convert to Christianity by being offered incentives such as jobs, money, and marriage prospects and also denigrating Hinduism. Even minor children and women were targeted and encouraged to convert. This conversion attempt was carried out by a Christian man named Lal Ji. Media reports stated that Lal Ji, a resident of Mungeshwar Mohalla in Mau district, was living in a rented house in Mohalla Farrukhpur in Faridpur. He organised conversion programmes every Sunday from 10 am to 1 pm with his team. Lal Ji used various methods to entice economically vulnerable Hindus to adopt Christianity. He promised jobs to some, offering money and housing to others, and assuring marriage prospects to certain individuals. In this way, he gradually ensnared people to convert. He held prayer meetings on Sundays, where Hindu men, women, and children were encouraged to adopt Christianity. During these meetings, Hindu gods and goddesses were denigrated, and Lal Ji would assert that they were weak and only Jesus could help them. Everyone was given water during the prayer, and it was declared that from that moment, they were Christians and that Jesus Christ would bring them good fortune. Hindu organisations became aware of the situation and went to the location. Sunil Kumar, a Hindu activist, and his colleagues immediately informed the police about this incident. Upon receiving the information, the Faridpur police team arrived at the scene and found that a conversion programme was in progress. The police apprehended Lal Ji and recovered Christian religious texts from him, which were used to convert Hindus. He was then taken to the police station. A case was registered following a complaint from Sunil Kumar, a member of the Hindu Jagran Manch, under the relevant sections of the BNS and the UP Conversion Prohibition Act. Sunil Kumar stated that Lal Ji had been converting people while residing there for several months, and also mentioned that there was foreign funding involved. At the time of documenting this incident, the police were interrogating Lal Ji and were investigating whether more people were involved in these conversion activities. The officer in charge of Faridpur Kotwali stated that the matter was being investigated thoroughly. The accused's mobile phone and documents were also being examined, and the police indicated that further arrests could follow. After this incident, residents remarked that they would now have to remain vigilant about activities in their neighbourhood. Hindu organisations warned that such incidents would not be tolerated and that any recurrence would be met with strong protests.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. Within this, the subcategory selected is- Conversion/ attempts to convert by inducement. 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 other subcategory selected in this case is- Attempting to convert/converting by denigrating Hinduism. In several cases, Hindus are converted or an attempt is made to convert Hindus by denigrating their faith, Hinduism. In such cases, the Hindus associate with the non-Hindu perpetrators often by choice and then, the attempt to convert them by insulting their faith, showing the faith down etc begins. An example of this would be a non-Hindu gathering where the Hindus are attending the gathering of their own free will. However, once they attend the gathering, there is an explicit attempt to convert them by abusing their faith and hailing the faith of the perpetrator. The denigration of the Hindu faith is often based on misrepresentation of the Hindu faith, its doctrine and scriptures and insult to espoused traditions if not blatant lies about Hindu beliefs and ways. Such conversions or attempts at conversions are driven by animosity towards the Hindu faith and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. The other subcategory selected is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. Within this, the tertiary category selected is- '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, in Faridpur, Hindus were lured to convert to Christianity through incentives, denigration of Hindu deities and subtle brainwashing. The nature of the conversion efforts and the wider impact on the Hindu community all indicate a targeted action against Hindus as a community. When evangelists and Christian missionaries focus their efforts on converting members of a particular religion, in this case, Hindus, then it demonstrates a fundamental disregard for that faith. Conversion, especially when not based on personal conviction but rather on external persuasion or pressure, is not simply about sharing a different belief system. It is an attempt to undermine the values, traditions, and identity of the Hindu community. In this context, the Christian missionaries specifically targeted Hindus, which suggests a lack of respect for Hinduism and its followers. Such actions are carried out with the intention of stripping Hindu victims of their faith. The use of incentives like offering jobs, money, a house, and arranging marriages to encourage Christian conversion clearly demonstrates that these actions were not motivated by kindness or charity. Instead, they were calculated attempts to exploit vulnerable Hindus specifically because of their religion. By providing inducements to Hindus to change their faith. The Christian perpetrators were effectively emotionally blackmailing those vulnerable Hindus who might have been desperate for assistance. Such instances are seen in many cases where members of Christian missionary groups target socially and economically vulnerable Hindus to further their agenda of religious conversions. This form of coercion strips Hindus of their agency and dignity and enforces forced conversions. These are not random or isolated incidents, but rather are premeditated efforts to undermine the Hindu faith, persuade Hindus to discard their own faith, and convert to Christianity. Such acts are deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims. Furthermore, the perpetrator made denigrating remarks about Hindu deities. He called the Hindu deities weak and asserted that only Jesus can save people. This makes the religious motivation behind the crime even more evident. This goes beyond religious debate or proselytisation; it constitutes an act of incitement and insult directed at the core beliefs of the Hindu community. Such remarks are designed to assert Christian supremacy and demean and undermine the faith of Hindus, fostering an environment of hostility and disrespect. These acts of insulting Hindu deities stem from Christian theology, which harbours disdain and hatred for polytheistic faiths, and which categorises Hindus as ‘polytheists’, thereby fostering hatred against them. This instance again makes the religious motivation behind the crime very evident. Another point to highlight is that the Christian perpetrator also attempted to brainwash people by making them drink water and then stating that from now on they are Christians. Such actions are clear manipulative tactics aimed at brainwashing people into converting to Christianity. Such actions reveal that the conversion effort was a premeditated and well-calculated effort to convert people to Christianity. Furthermore, as stated by the Hindu organisation, illegal conversion activities targeting poor and economically vulnerable Hindus were being carried out under the guise of a prayer meeting. The use of a prayer meeting is often used as a front for religious conversion activities, where, many times, indirect and manipulative methods are used to lure or convince individuals into conversion, especially when the targets are economically vulnerable people. In such cases, conversion isn’t driven by genuine spiritual awakening but by exploiting the emotional, social, and material needs of the vulnerable. Prayer meetings often serve as a setup where people are gradually conditioned, emotionally manipulated, and made to feel disillusioned with their own faith, while being subtly indoctrinated to accept Christianity It is also important to highlight that the victims in this case also include minors. This means the element of consent and genuine change of conscience was missing ab initio. Minors, due to their young age and lack of maturity, are particularly vulnerable to manipulation and coercion. They may not have the ability to fully understand the implications of converting to another religion, and the Christian perpetrator purposely targeted and exploited this vulnerability of the victim. This act exemplifies the use of coercion and manipulation to achieve the religious conversion of minors, making it a religiously motivated hate crime. Reports also stated that such conversions had been happening for many months. Such repeated actions, especially when they involve inducement, manipulation, and religious denigrations, are a clear example of a religiously motivated crime because they are directed at undermining the religious and cultural identity of Hindus through manipulation and unlawful means. It also highlights that the conversions weren’t isolated or accidental; rather, it was a premeditated effort to convert Hindus to Christianity. By focusing specifically on Hindus, the Christian perpetrator was religiously profiling vulnerable individuals (often from economically weaker groups) and working systematically to erase their Hindu identity. Further, the seizure of Christian religious texts, specifically intended to induce conversion, demonstrates that this was not an isolated act of evangelism, but part of a broader, organised operation. When religious material is used to exploit trust and facilitate conversion by manipulation and brainwashing, it constitutes a religiously motivated crime, especially when done systematically. These instances of targeted proselytisation activities stem from inherent hostility towards the Hindu faith since Abrahamic faiths believe that any non-adherent to their faith is subject to being dehumanised till they convert, making it a religiously motivated crime against Hindus. Since this case meets many parameters of a religiously motivated attack against Hindus and their faith; therefore, it is being added to the hate crime database. Disclaimer: Media reports do not specify the total number of perpetrators involved in this case. They focus primarily on Lal Ji, the main accused, and mention that he acted with his team. However, as the exact number is not provided, we have listed the perpetrator count as ‘1’, referring to Lal Ji.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
