Poor Hindus lured with money and job promises for conversion by Christian missionaries in Prayagraj
Prayagraj (Allahabad), Uttar Pradesh, India 
12 July, 2025
Case Summary
In Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, Hindus were being lured for religious conversion by Christian Evangelists through inducements. According to reports, this mass conversion attempt was going on in a prayer meeting organised by Christian evangelists in the Airport police station area. The prayer meeting was organised by Rajan Sahay, originally from Etawah, and residing in Rahimabad village. During this gathering, he attempted to convert around 58 Hindus, primarily belonging to the economically weaker sections, to Christianity by offering them money and promises of jobs. The gathering included approximately 100 people, out of which 58 had already been converted earlier, and 40 more were in the process of being converted. Besides this, some people from the Muslim community were also present there. When the local Hindu community came to know about such a gathering, they arrived in large numbers and disrupted the event. The prayer meeting was stopped, and a major confrontation took place. Rajan Sahay and the others who remained were handed over to the police, and a “ghar wapsi” (return to Hinduism) ritual was performed for 59 individuals. As of the date of writing this report, a formal complaint was submitted to the Police Commissioner and the District Magistrate. The investigation was ongoing.
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: - 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 Hindus were being converted by Christian evangelists through inducements such as jobs and money. Evangelists specially targeted Hindus who were economically vulnerable. 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 psychological pressure and misinformation to inducements such as money 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. Since the victims were targeted because of religious animosity, this case has been categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime. Disclaimer: Although multiple individuals were involved in organising and facilitating the mass conversion event, only one person—Rajan Sahay—has been specifically named in available reports. Therefore, for the purpose of this documentation, the number of perpetrators has been recorded as one. Disclaimer: It was reported that, in addition to Hindus, individuals from non-Hindu religious communities were also present at the gathering. However, the Hinduphobia Tracker exclusively documents hate crimes targeting Hindus. Since the exact number of Hindu victims in this particular incident is not clearly specified in available reports, the victim count has been marked as "Unknown" for this case.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
