Dalit and economically vulnerable Hindu villagers targeted for conversion by Christian missionaries through prayer meetings and promises of miraculous cures
Mau, Uttar Pradesh, India 
23 August, 2025
Case Summary
In the Barlai village of Mau district, Uttar Pradesh, Hindu villagers, including Dalits and women, were brainwashed and targeted for religious conversion under the guise of a prayer meeting by Christian missionaries. According to reports, a prayer meeting was being conducted by two Christian missionaries at a house in the village. During this time, police raided the house and found hundreds of Hindu villagers, including women, primarily from Dalit and economically weaker backgrounds, had gathered there. During the police action, Christian propaganda material, along with other Christian religious literature, was seized from the spot. It was reported that those attending the prayer meeting were being lured to adopt Christianity through promises of miraculous cures for their illnesses. The action was taken based on the complaint filed by Bajrang Dal (a Hindu organisation) members and local villagers. SHO Pankaj Pandey confirmed the intervention and stated that the two detained individuals were being interrogated in connection with the conversion activities. The investigation was ongoing.
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 second sub-category selected here 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. This case has been added to the tracker because Hindu villagers, primarily from Dalit and economically vulnerable backgrounds, were targeted for conversion by Christian missionaries. The tactic of using false promises of healing was both a form of inducement and subtle brainwashing. Hindus were made to believe that their diseases and suffering would be cured if they converted to Christianity. Offering incentives or making false promises of miraculous cures, especially when directed at those in need, was not an act of compassion but a calculated strategy to exploit Hindus because of their religion and vulnerable status. By providing false healing promises in exchange for conversion, the perpetrators used inducement as a manipulative tool to weaken ties to the Hindu faith. Such exploitation of vulnerability fits the broader framework of predatory proselytisation, where inducements are used as a manipulative tactic to sever the victim from their faith. The Christian propaganda material and religious texts were also recovered by the police. This indicated that the perpetrators were indoctrinating the Hindu victims by using Christian religious texts and literature. Using the scriptures or literature of one faith to deliberately target and manipulate members of another, with the clear intention of religious conversion, represented a direct attack on the Hindu faith. Such actions were designed to violate and undermine the beliefs of Hindu victims and are clear indicators of religious hostility towards Hindus and their religious identity. They further demonstrated that this was not an isolated incident of evangelism but part of a broader, organised pattern to further religious conversions. When Christian religious material was used to exploit trust, sow doubt, and misrepresent the beliefs of Hindus to coerce conversion, particularly in a systematic manner, it constituted a religiously motivated offence. 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 misinformation or brainwashing to inducements such as money or jobs. Such instances are seen in many cases of predatory proselytisation, 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.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
