Hindus targeted for conversion under the guise of prayer meeting by Christian preacher in Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
1 May, 2024
Case Summary
In the Dhusiyapar village of Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, Hindus were targeted for conversion under the guise of a prayer meeting by a Christian preacher. According to reports, tensions broke out during a Christian prayer meeting when members of the Sanatan Utthan Sangathan, a Hindu organisation, objected to the prayer meeting being conducted at the residence of a Christian preacher. The Christian preacher, originally from Harpur, had rented the house of a man named Shri Bhagwat Yadav about a year and a half ago, where he used to conduct weekly prayer meetings every Sunday, drawing people from nearby villages. On the day of the incident, a large number of men and women had gathered at his house for the prayer meeting. The preacher and his wife were conducting prayers for healing from illnesses or spiritual healing. During the meeting, Hindu activists, Vinod Agrahari, Ramsahar Mishra, Shyam Narayan, Bhagat, and Pawan, arrived at the location, expressing apprehension that the gathering was aimed at religious conversion. They informed BJP Mandal President Suryanath Vishwakarma and contacted the police. Officers from Sahajanwan police station promptly reached the site and brought the situation under control. Police also detained six individuals, including the preacher and his wife. However, police later claimed that there was no instance of religious conversion, though the investigation was ongoing.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of- Predatory proselytisation. Under this, the sub-category selected 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 proselytisation, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. The other 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. This case has been added to the tracker because Hindus in Dhusiyapar village of Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, were targeted for conversion under the guise of a prayer or healing meeting led by the Christian preacher and his wife. Firstly, offering inducements or making false healing promises, especially when directed at vulnerable and economically weaker individuals, is not an act of kindness or charity. It is a calculated effort to exploit their vulnerability because of their religious identity. By claiming that prayers would cure their illness while simultaneously pushing people towards conversion, the accused were effectively blackmailing those who might have been desperate for assistance or hope. Furthermore, the victims were targeted for conversion under the guise of a Christian prayer meeting. The act of inviting Hindus to a prayer gathering while simultaneously conducting conversion activities demonstrates that these meetings were not genuine religious sessions or community prayers. Instead, they were calculated efforts to exploit the trust and social cohesion within the Hindu community by disguising conversion attempts as routine gatherings. 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 people of their agency and dignity and results in coerced conversions. 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. These are not random or isolated incidents, but premeditated efforts to undermine the Hindu faith, persuade Hindus to discard their own faith, and convert to Christianity. Such acts were deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims, and thus, this case was added to the tracker. Disclaimer: It is important to clarify that none of the media sources covering this case have specified the exact date when the accused began his conversion activities, though it is mentioned that the accused was conducting the prayer meeting since the time he rented the house, about one and a half years ago. Thus, to document this case, we have used an indicative date—2 May 2024—as a placeholder to represent the beginning of illegal conversion activities. While the incident was uncovered on 2 November 2025 and reported by the media on 3 November 2025, the Hinduphobia Tracker records the incident based on when the victim’s ordeal began, not when it was reported.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
