Hindus, including minors, targeted for conversion to Christianity with false promises of healing and money
Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
26 July, 2025
Case Summary
In the Imaliya Sultanpur police station area of Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, Hindus were enticed to convert to Christianity under the pretext of curing diseases. Financial incentives were also offered to encourage their conversion to Christianity. According to media reports, a private house in Chhoti Neri village was being operated as a church. Here, Hindus were converted by luring them with promises of financial benefits, freedom from illness, and relief from personal problems. The Christian pastor further promised housing and arranged marriages for those who converted. Upon receiving information about the conversions taking place in the church, members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) demanded strict action by submitting a complaint at the police station. Once the matter came to light, the police reached the spot and found more than 100 Hindu women, men, and children who were present at the scene. The police had arrived at the scene with a large contingent and were escorting all those present from the premises. On charges of conversion, the police detained three individuals associated with the church management for interrogation. However, SHO Shyamu Kanaujia stated that the police did not receive a formal complaint, but strict action would be taken as soon as it was lodged. Local Hindu residents reported that such activities had been ongoing in the church for a long time, but they had no idea that conversion attempts were taking place. CO Maholi Deepak Kumar reported that those involved in conversions had been running their activities from a private house. He also stated that strict action would be taken against the perpetrators.
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 is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation, and subtle indoctrination. Within this, the tertiary category selected is- Pattern of targeting Hindus and Conversion of minor. 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, Hindus were lured to convert to Christianity through financial incentives and promises of a cure from illnesses. The nature of the conversion efforts and the wider impact on the Hindu community all indicate a targeted attack against Hindus as a group. When Christian evangelists and 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, making it a religiously motivated crime. The act of offering financial incentives like money, a house, and arranged marriages to encourage conversion shows that these incentives were not acts of kindness or charity. Instead, they were calculated moves to exploit vulnerable Hindu victims because of their religion. By providing inducements to Hindus to change their faith, the Christian perpetrators were effectively blackmailing those Hindus who were in desperate need of 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. Such acts 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 Hinduism and its adherents. Another particularly troubling aspect of this case is the use of “miraculous cure” as a guise to lure individuals and facilitate conversions. Such promises are often presented as opportunities for physical or emotional healing, offering hope to Hindus who are suffering from illness, distress, or other hardships. Such manipulation of vulnerable Hindus, exploiting their difficulties to advance the agenda of religious conversion, glaringly demonstrates the religiously motivated nature of the case. It is also crucial to highlight that minors were among the victims in this case. When minors are targeted, the element of consent and a genuine change of conscience is absent from the outset. Due to their young age and lack of maturity, minors are particularly susceptible to manipulation and coercion, lacking the capacity to fully grasp the implications of religious conversion. The Christian perpetrators deliberately exploited the vulnerabilities of these young victims. The use of coercion and manipulation to achieve religious conversion in such circumstances constitutes a blatant act of religious hatred. Furthermore, this was not an isolated occurrence, but an ongoing campaign, with such events organised over a long period. This sustained pattern demonstrates a deliberate and persistent strategy to target Hindus exclusively for their religious identity. The continuous and organised nature of these Christian prayer meetings highlights that such instances were not isolated incidents; rather, they were a systematic effort to undermine the Hindu community in the region and strip them of their Hindu faith. This makes this incident a case of a religiously motivated crime. Such acts of predatory Christian conversion stem from inherent religious hostility towards the victim's professed faith since Abrahamic faiths believe that any non-adherent to their faith is subject to being dehumanised till they convert. Since such predatory actions stem from doctrinal animosity towards the Hindu faith and its adherents, this case is being documented as a religiously motivated hate crime and is being added to the hate crime database.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
