Hindu villagers targeted for conversion through prayer meetings by Christian missionaries; promised with 'childbirth' and other benefits
Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
14 July, 2025
Case Summary
In Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Hindu villagers were targeted for religious conversion by Christian missionaries who disguised their activities as prayer meetings. Villagers were brainwashed and offered inducements to facilitate conversion. According to reports, the prayer meetings were being organised at the house of a Christian woman named Kiran. She would invite Hindus every Sunday for these prayer meetings, which were marketed as Hindu religious events-satsangs or pujas. During such meetings, she would brainwash Hindu villagers by claiming that attending these meetings would cure illnesses and also lead to the birth of children for childless couples. Drawn by such promises, a large number of people used to visit her house. However, suspicions grew among the locals and members of Hindu organisations, and they went to the accused's house during one such meeting. During this, it was revealed that nearly 50–60 people, belonging to the Hindu religion, were being enticed and brainwashed for religious conversion. Christian literature was also being distributed to induce conversions. Police immediately reached the spot and arrested six people in this case. Those arrested include Kiran, Asneet Kumar, Prahlad Singh, Mukesh Kumar, and Gurdas, along with a minor. Police stated that during interrogation, it was revealed that the accused were converting poor Hindu families to Christianity by deceiving them, promising to cure diseases and helping childless couples conceive. Their primary targets were innocent and vulnerable Hindu villagers. As of the date of writing this report, a case was registered against the accused under sections of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, and they were sent to jail as part of legal proceedings. Police are also examining the bank accounts of the accused to investigate the scale and funding of these conversion activities.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of: - Predatory Proselytisation. Within it, the sub-category selected is: - Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination, with the tertiary category being: - 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 other sub-category relevant here 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. This case has been added to the tracker because innocent Hindu villagers were targeted for conversion by Christian missionaries. The villagers were first lured into prayer meetings, which were deceptively marketed as satsangs or pujas in order to draw unsuspecting villagers. This was a deliberate tactic to lower resistance, mask proselytising intent, and gather as many Hindus as possible into the house of the accused, where the actual brainwashing and religious grooming could begin. Christian literature was then distributed to the victims in order to gradually expose them to Christian principles to facilitate conversion. Further, the accused exploited the physical and emotional vulnerabilities of the villagers by presenting the prayer meetings as avenues for miraculous healing and blessings, including promises of curing diseases and enabling childbirth for childless couples. These psychological tactics were used to weaken the villagers’ faith in Hinduism and make them dependent on Christianity. They transform the real suffering of disadvantaged Hindus into a leverage for religious conversion. This is not only coercive but also predatory, as it targets individuals based specifically on their religious identity and perceived vulnerability. It was also reported that various inducements were offered as part of this strategy. Offering incentives or making false promises, especially when directed at vulnerable individuals in need, shows that these incentives are not acts of kindness or charity. Instead, they are calculated moves to exploit vulnerable Hindus because of their religion. By providing inducements or promising healing in exchange for conversion, the accused were effectively blackmailing those who might have been desperate for assistance or hope. 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 people of their agency and dignity and results in coerced conversions. These are not random or isolated incidents, but rather cases deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims. The Christian faith, by its very theological foundations, places a strong emphasis on proselytisation. In pursuit of conversion objectives, Christian evangelists often employ unethical means, ranging from deception and misinformation to inducements such as free medical treatment or jobs. These tactics are designed not as acts of charity but as tools to engineer religious change under the guise of social upliftment, particularly among vulnerable and underprivileged communities. Disclaimer: The case mentions that between 50 to 60 individuals were baptised by the accused, but does not provide an exact number. For documentation purposes, we have recorded the maximum count of 60 victims in the database. Disclaimer: Since reports mention that couples were enticed into conversion, it is reasonable to infer that both male and female victims were involved. Accordingly, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the number of victims as equally divided between men and women.
Victim Details
Total Victim
60
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 30
- Female 30
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 60
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 60
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
