Dalit Hindus lured with inducements, subjected to brainwashing and denigration of Hindu deities to convert to Christianity
Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
29 October, 2025
Case Summary
In Sarki village, located in the Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh, Dalit Hindus were targeted for conversion to Christianity by members of a Christian conversion group. The accused had enticed local Hindus with various inducements and had attempted to brainwash them using Christian scriptures to influence them towards conversion. The accused had also denigrated Hindu deities and faith practices. According to media reports, the accused had been targeting Hindus under the pretext of organising a “healing” meeting. An online meeting was being conducted where poor and backward-caste Hindus were being encouraged and lured into adopting Christianity. Acting on a tip-off from a Hindu man named Lakhai Ram, the police raided the location and arrested four Christians. The arrested individuals were identified as Geeta Devi, wife of Ramayan Ram; her daughter Rekha; Sonu, son of Lahru; and Vijay, son of Harikanchan Ram — all residents of Sarki village. As per the written complaint filed by Lakhai Ram, son of the late Sechan and a resident of Banjarepur, the accused had been luring poor and lower-caste Hindus in Sarki village for several years with promises of benefits such as free medical treatment, employment opportunities, and even marriage to a beautiful woman, on the condition that they convert to Christianity. They had also organised Christian prayer meetings at their homes, during which people were made to utter derogatory remarks against Hindu gods and goddesses. During these prayer gatherings, participants were pressured to convert to Christianity while being urged to praise Jesus Christ. The complainant further stated that he himself had been offered money and asked to convert to Christianity. Considering the gravity of the matter, the police took decisive action and apprehended the accused. Circle Officer Ajit Kumar Rajak confirmed that the raid was conducted based on a tip-off during an online meeting. Several copies of the Bible were recovered from the scene. The Bible had also been used as a tool to indoctrinate Hindus in order to persuade them to convert to Christianity. All the accused were booked under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act and were sent to jail. The incident created a stir throughout the area, and the police initiated an investigation into the case.
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 inducements. 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- Attempts to convert/converting by denigrating Hinduism. In several cases, Hindus are converted or an attempt is made to convert Hindus by denigrating their faith, Hinduism. In such cases, the Hindus associate with the non-Hindu perpetrators often by choice and then, the attempt to convert them by insulting their faith, showing the faith down etc begins. An example of this would be a non-Hindu gathering where the Hindus are attending the gathering of their own free will. However, once they attend the gathering, there is an explicit attempt to convert them by abusing their faith and hailing the faith of the perpetrator. The denigration of the Hindu faith is often based on misrepresentation of the Hindu faith, its doctrine and scriptures and insult to espoused traditions if not blatant lies about Hindu beliefs and ways. Such conversions or attempts at conversions are driven by animosity towards the Hindu faith and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. The other subcategory selected is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation, or subtle indoctrination. 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 proselytisation, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. The incident in Sarki village clearly reflected a case of an anti-Hindu hate crime where Hindus were deliberately targeted for conversion through coercive inducements. The accused exploited the vulnerabilities of poor and marginalised Hindu families by offering them false promises of money, free medical treatment, employment opportunities, and even marriage prospects as rewards for renouncing their faith. These inducements were not acts of kindness or charity; rather, they were manipulative tools designed to strip Hindus of their religious identity and coerce them into converting to Christianity. Such practices by Christian missionary groups have been repeatedly observed in several parts of India, where similar inducements have been used to lure Hindus into conversion. This pattern establishes the religiously motivated nature of the crime, aimed at undermining Hindu faith and identity through systematic deceit. Another concerning aspect of this incident was how the conversion attempts were concealed under the guise of organising so-called “healing” meetings. These ''healing'' sessions were a façade used to prey upon the emotional and physical vulnerabilities of Hindus facing illness, poverty, or distress. The perpetrators exploited these personal hardships, claiming to offer divine healing or relief through conversion to Christianity. In reality, these gatherings were nothing more than orchestrated traps to coerce Hindus into leaving their faith. By misusing the name of 'healing', the accused took advantage of the trust and desperation of innocent Hindus, making this a clear instance of religious exploitation disguised as compassion — another marker of a religiously motivated hate crime. During the conversion event, the accused not only pressured Hindus to convert but also incited them to denigrate their own deities and faith practices. Hindu victims, who had grown up worshipping their gods and goddesses with devotion and reverence, were provoked into speaking ill of their own faith. This psychological manipulation aimed to sever their spiritual connection with Hinduism and generate animosity towards their own religious traditions. Such acts go beyond mere coercion — they represent an assault on the very sanctity of Hindu belief. The deliberate denigration of Hindu deities and traditions demonstrates an intent to demean and destroy Hindu identity, which qualifies as a direct expression of anti-Hindu hate. The brainwashing methods employed by the accused further underline the hostile and deliberate nature of the crime. During the police raid, several copies of the Bible were recovered, which were being used to indoctrinate Hindus and convince them to renounce their religion. In this context, using the Christian text was not a matter of peaceful preaching; it was a deliberate attempt to manipulate the minds of Hindus, sowing seeds of doubt about their faith while glorifying another religion. The Hindu victims were also pressured to praise Jesus Christ. This calculated effort sought to make Hindu victims question their centuries-old beliefs, detach from their roots, and gradually adopt a new religious identity alien to their faith and tradition. Such coercive and manipulative use of religious texts against another faith community is a manifestation of religious intolerance and hostility towards Hindus. Furthermore, reports revealed that these conversion activities had been ongoing for several years, indicating that this was not an isolated incident but a premeditated, long-term effort. The sustained nature of these operations points to a well-organised network working systematically to alter the religious demographics of the region and establish a Christian-dominated presence. Such actions are born out of deep-seated animosity towards Hinduism and the Hindu community. Such instances of targeted proselytisation activities stem from indoctrination rooted in Christian theology, as Abrahamic faiths harbour profound enmity and hostility towards non-adherents, dehumanising them until they convert. This constitutes a case of doctrinal animosity directed at Hindus and their faith. Consequently, this case is being added to the hate crime database maintained by the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records the date of an incident based on when the crime occurred, rather than when it was reported by the media. In this case, media reports stated that the accused had been converting Hindus for several years, but did not specify the exact date when the conversion activities began. The reports only mentioned that the most recent instance of targeting Hindus for conversion took place on 30th October 2025. Accordingly, for the purpose of documentation, 30th October 2025 is being recorded as the indicative date of the incident. The media reports in this case did not specify the total number of victims. They only mentioned that several Hindus were targeted for conversion. Only the complainant, Lakhai Ram, named in the report, was specifically mentioned as being targeted by the accused for conversion. Therefore, for the purpose of documentation, Lakhai Ram has been recorded as the victim, and the victim count has been conservatively noted as '1'.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 1
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 1
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 1
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
