Hindu women lured with money and medical to convert to Christianity in Uttar Pradesh
Basti, Uttar Pradesh, India 
13 September, 2025
Case Summary
In Basti, Uttar Pradesh, Hindu women were lured with monetary inducements and promises of medical treatment to convert to Christianity. In this case, the police registered a case against three Christians for compelling religious conversion by offering money and medical assistance. The BJP Mandal President reported the incident, and two of the accused were arrested. According to media reports, Satyendra Singh, also known as Bholu, a Hindu resident of Anandnagar in the Basti Kotwali area, submitted a complaint to the Gaura police. He stated that on 14th September 2025, at around noon, the BJP Mandal President, Rajesh Kamalapuri, informed him that Hindu women had been lured to attend a prayer meeting at a church where they were being forced to convert to Christianity. During the meeting, the perpetrators offered the Hindu victims money and medical treatment in exchange for conversion. Reports confirmed that Ramnihor, a resident of Chandrashekhar Azad Nagar Panchayat, and Ramtej, a resident of Babhnikhas village in Chhapia Police Station area, Gonda district, along with three others, were behind the forced conversion. In this matter, the police registered a case based on Satyendra Singh's complaint, under Section 302 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and 3, 5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act 2021, and began an investigation. Investigating officer Ajay Nath Kanojia, in charge of Babhnan police outpost, stated that, acting on a tip-off, Ramnihor and Ramtej were arrested near Marwatiya village in Paikolia Police Station area. They were presented before a magistrate in police custody and were subsequently sent to jail.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category selected in this case is- 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. In this case, Hindu women were lured with monetary and medical incentives to convert to Christianity. The nature of the conversion efforts and the wider impact on the Hindu community all indicate a targeted action against Hindus as a collectivity. When individuals or groups focus their efforts on converting members of a particular religion, in this case, Hindus, then it demonstrates a fundamental disregard for the Hindu 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 perpetrators specifically targeted Hindu women, which suggests a lack of respect for Hinduism and its followers. Such actions are carried out to strip Hindu victims of their faith, making it a religiously motivated crime. The use of financial and medical incentives to encourage Christian conversion clearly demonstrates that these actions were not motivated by kindness or charity. Instead, they were calculated attempts to exploit vulnerable Hindu women specifically because of their religion. By providing inducements to the Hindu women to change their faith, the perpetrators were effectively emotionally blackmailing those vulnerable Hindus who might have been desperate for assistance. This form of coercion strips Hindus of their agency and dignity and enforces forced conversions. These 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 Hindu victims and their faith, making it a religiously motivated crime. These instances of targeted proselytisation activities stem from inherent hostility towards the victims' professed faith since Abrahamic faiths believe that any non-adherent to their faith is subject to being dehumanised till they convert, making it a religiously motivated crime against Hindus. Since this case meets multiple parameters of a religiously motivated attack against Hindus and their faith; therefore, it is being added to the hate crime database. Disclaimer: Media reports state that the police filed a case against three accused individuals, but they also clearly state that a total of five people were involved. Therefore, we are recording the number of perpetrators as '5.'
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
