Hindu villagers lured with inducements and targeted for conversion by Christian couple in Shahjahanpur
Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
13 September, 2025
Case Summary
In the Nayi Basti area of Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Hindu villagers were offered inducements and targeted for conversion by a Christian husband-wife duo who ran a church inside a house. According to reports, illegal religious conversions of Hindu villagers were taking place under the guise of a prayer meeting in a church. To mask their activities, the Christian couple had constructed the church inside a house, where they were conducting prayer meetings every Sunday. When members of a Hindu organisation received information about these activities, they raided the premises and found around 40–50 people assembled for what was described as a healing meeting. They also found Christian religious texts, objectionable pamphlets, and a music system playing Christian hymns. The Hindu organisation revealed that the accused had been conducting these conversion activities for a long time, luring people to the gatherings by promising to heal illnesses and help them obtain jobs, while also offering financial inducements to encourage conversion. The sudden arrival of the Hindu activists caused chaos, with some attendees fleeing the spot. Police also arrived and took the accused couple into custody. Christian literature was seized from the house. As of the date of writing this report, a written complaint had been filed by the Hindu activists, and police confirmed that an FIR would be registered after questioning the accused and those present at the meeting.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Predatory proselytisation. Under this, 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. The other sub-category relevant here is - Proselytisation by brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. Within this, the tertiary category selected is- 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 constitutes a religiously motivated hate crime, as Hindu villagers were lured into converting to Christianity under the guise of a prayer meeting by the husband-wife duo. The act of luring Hindus under the pretext of prayer meetings or healing meetings demonstrates that these gatherings were not genuine invitations to interfaith dialogue or religious prayers. Rather, they were calculated efforts to exploit the sense of community and trust within the Hindu community by disguising conversion attempts as prayer sessions. Additionally, they deliberately disguised their church inside a house so as not to raise an alarm in the area. This also showed that the individuals involved were deceptively manipulating Hindus to abandon their faith by targeting vulnerable villagers and exploiting their emotional, social, or religious needs. As a result, vulnerable Hindus were manipulated to abandon their faith. These malicious actions were rooted in religious animosity towards Hinduism and its community. Hindu activists stated that the accused couple used to lure people to these gatherings by promising to heal illnesses and help them obtain jobs, while also offering financial inducements to encourage conversion. Offering incentives, especially when directed at vulnerable individuals in need, demonstrated that these incentives were not acts of kindness or charity. Instead, they were calculated moves to exploit vulnerable Hindus because of their religion. By providing inducements in exchange for conversion, the organisers were effectively blackmailing those who might have been desperate for assistance or hope. Such instances have been seen in many cases where 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. Christian religious texts and objectionable literature were also found on the premises. Thus, the Christian perpetrators were also actively attempting to indoctrinate 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, represents a direct attack on the Hindu faith. Such actions are designed to violate and undermine the beliefs of Hindu victims and are clear indicators of religious hostility towards Hindus and their religious identity. Such actions further demonstrate that this was not an isolated incident of evangelism, but rather part of a broader, organised operation to further religious conversions. When Christian religious material is used to exploit trust, sow doubt, and misrepresent the beliefs of Hindus to coerce conversion, particularly in a systematic manner, it constitutes a religiously motivated offence. When evangelists and Christian missionaries focus their efforts on converting individuals of a particular faith, in this instance, Hindus, it reveals a fundamental disregard for that community and its beliefs. Conversion, especially when not based on sincere personal conviction but rather on external persuasion or pressure, is not about sharing a different religion. Instead, it is an attempt to undermine the values, traditions, and identity of the Hindu community. In this context, Christian missionaries specifically targeted Hindus in Shahjahanpur, suggesting a distinct lack of respect for Hinduism and its followers. Such actions were undertaken with the intention of stripping Hindu victims of their faith, making this an instance of a religiously motivated crime. 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. Such acts were deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims, and thus, this case was added to the tracker.
Victim Details
Total Victim
50
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 50
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 50
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 50
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
