Hindu students harassed for religious conversion at Christian missionay school; forced to pray, threatened with ghosts and punishments for speaking out
Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India 
22 April, 2025
Case Summary
A conversion attempt was reported at Saint Patrick's School in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, after a student returned home and informed his family that he and several classmates were blindfolded and taken to a graveyard by school staff, where they were sprinkled with water and asked to pray. The student also said they were threatened with ghosts and punishment if they informed anyone about it. Upon hearing this, the student's family approached the Partapur police station and filed a formal complaint, citing this incident as an attempt at religious conversion by the school authorities. In reaction to the incident, several VHP members visited the school, demanding an explanation from the principal and warning of serious agitation should similar events happen again. Responding to the accusations, the school principal, Father Martin, strongly denied all allegations. He confirmed that CCTV footage of the day in question had been reviewed and shared with the police for transparency. As of the date of writing this report, the police have launched an investigation and will take appropriate action.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of: Predatory Proselytisation. Within it, the sub-category selected is: - Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination, and the tertiary sub-category being: - Conversion of a minor and Family claims grooming. 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. The other sub-category relevant here is: Harassment, threats, coercion for conversion. Harassment covers a wide range of behaviours of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behaviour that demeans, humiliates, and intimidates a person, including threats and coercion. Harassment and threats, in this case, find their root on discriminatory grounds which has the effect of nullifying a person’s rights or infringing upon his freedom to exercise his right specifically owing to the victim’s religious identity. Verbal and physical threats and psychological or physical harassment are often used against Hindu victims because they choose to practice their professed religion. Religious harassment also includes forced and involuntary conversions by harassment, threats or coercion. Coercion includes intimidatory tactics like force-feeding a Hindu victim beef to convert to another religion, forceful circumcision etc. In several cases documented, non-Hindu perpetrators or those who harbour specific animosity towards Hinduism, harass victims simply based on their religious identity. Such cases often also include harassment to ensure the Hindu victim abandons his/her professed religion and adopts the religion of the perpetrator. Such cases where Hindu victims are harassed to convert to the perpetrator’s religion are rooted in animosity towards the victim’s religious identity and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. This case qualifies as a religiously motivated hate crime under the primary category of Predatory Proselytisation, owing to the deliberate and systematic grooming attempts of minor Hindu children, with the intent to alter their religious identity. It is important to note here that all the victims were minors and incapable of providing informed consent to such conversion activities. It is a well-established fact that children are more susceptible to manipulation since they are still developing emotionally, cognitively, and socially. Their brains are not fully mature, making them more vulnerable. This case demonstrates a calculated strategy of targeting those who are less able to resist or understand the long-term implications of conversion, making it a significant case of religious-motivated hate crime. Furthermore, the exploitation of authority by individuals driven by religious bias, under the guise of education, reflects a deeper ideological motive rooted in religious animosity. This is not merely an isolated disciplinary breach; it is a structured attempt to erode the religious identity of minors and impose a competing doctrine. The fact that the school authorities even threatened students with punishments shows how far Christian evangelists are willing to go for their conversion attempts.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
