Hindus lured with inducements for Christian conversion; Hindu man faces death threats for opposing conversion activities
Prayagraj (Allahabad), Uttar Pradesh, India 
12 October, 2025
Case Summary
In Devkipur village, also known as Bijlipur, in Baharia, Prayagraj district of Uttar Pradesh, Hindus were targeted for Christian conversion by two Christian men. The accused had organised a ‘Yesu Darbar’, a Christian prayer meeting, and offered money to Hindus to entice them to convert to Christianity. According to media reports, the incident came to light when Premchand, son of Ram Asare and a resident of Dhamour village, filed a complaint at the Baharia Police Station, stating that some Christians in the neighbouring village of Devkipur, also known as Bijlipur, were converting Hindu villagers under the guise of the Yesu Darbar. The accused were identified as Gaya Prasad Yadav, a resident of Devkipur, and Arvind Kumar Saroj, a resident of Bibipur. Both accused had enticed Hindus by offering them money to convert to Christianity. When Premchand confronted the accused, they threatened to kill him. He then filed a formal complaint with the police. The Baharia police took immediate action, arrested Gaya Prasad Yadav and Arvind Kumar Saroj, and sent them to jail on 13th October 2025. Reports also confirmed that many similar cases of religious conversion under the guise of a ‘Yesu Darbar’ had surfaced in another village named the Nevada village, also under the jurisdiction of the Baharia Police Station. Following a complaint filed by the village head, police arrested several individuals and sent them to jail.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. 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. The other subcategory selected is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. 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. Another primary category selected is- Attack not resulting in death. The subcategory selected is- Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save victim. In several cases, Hindus are attacked for opposing religiously motivated crimes being committed against a fellow Hindu or simply for voicing an opinion opposing radical elements, who either have in the past or continue to persecute Hindus. In such cases, the initial attack against the victim, against which the Hindu was trying to defend the victim, would also need to be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime. Since the initial crime itself was religiously motivated and the subsequent crime of attempting to save the victim or speaking against the radical elements ends up inviting a violent attack, it would also be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. In this case, the Christian accused lured the Hindu victims with money to convert to Christianity. The use of financial incentives to encourage Christian conversion clearly demonstrates that these actions were not motivated by kindness or charity. Instead, they were calculated attempts to exploit Hindus specifically because of their religion. By providing inducements to Hindus to change their faith, the Christian perpetrators were effectively emotionally blackmailing those Hindus who might have been desperate for assistance. 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 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. The accused attempted to convert Hindus under the guise of a 'Yesu Darbar', which is a large prayer hall or prayer meeting organised by Christian missionaries. On that day, the perpetrators lured Hindus by inviting them to attend these so‑called prayer gatherings, presenting them as spiritual or charitable events, while in reality using them as a front for conversion activities. The manipulation of unsuspecting Hindus under the pretext of religious prayer meetings revealed a deceitful strategy aimed at undermining their faith. Such acts of disguising conversion attempts expose deep‑seated religious animosity towards the Hindu community and demonstrate a concerted effort to erode their religious identity. One of the Hindu victims, Premchand, confronted the accused and publicly opposed the conversion efforts. In response, he was threatened with death. This death threat was not a random act—it was targeted intimidation aimed at silencing a Hindu man who stood up for his community’s right to practise its faith without harassment. Threatening a Hindu for defending his faith and his fellow Hindus showcases the perpetrators’ hostility toward both the individual and the religion he represents. It is a clear example of religious animosity that transforms coercion into outright threats of violence, reinforcing that this case meets the definition of a religiously motivated crime. Reports also stated that in neighbouring villages such as Nevada, within the jurisdiction of the Baharia Police Station area, similar cases of coercive religious conversion had occurred. In those cases, the police arrested several accused and sent them to jail. These repeated incidents demonstrate that the conversions in Devkipur were not isolated; they form part of a broader pattern in which Christian missionaries and evangelists selectively target Hindu communities for conversion. This sustained and organised targeting of Hindus across multiple villages underscores a coordinated campaign of religiously motivated hate crime, designed to dismantle the faith and cultural identity of Hindu victims. 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, it is being added to the hate crime database of 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. However, in this particular case, media reports did not mention the exact date of occurrence and only specified that the accused were arrested on 13th October 2025. Therefore, for documentation purposes, this date is being used as the indicative date of the incident. The total number of victims has not been specified in the media reports. However, one Hindu man, Premchand, was identified as being threatened by the accused for opposing the conversion attempts. Therefore, for documentation purposes, the Hinduphobia Tracker is recording a conservative estimate and listing the victim count as '1', referring to Premchand alone.
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 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
