Hindu students humiliated and denied entry for wearing tilak at Christian missionary school; staff demeaned their faith and coerced them to study the Bible for conversion
Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh, India 
12 October, 2025
Case Summary
In Kulpahar in Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh, Hindu students were being discriminated against based on their faith, like being denied entry for wearing a tilak and kalava by school authorities at a Christian missionary school. They were also being brainwashed for religious conversion. The matter came to light after a social media post, denigrating Hindu god and goddesses, posted by the school's class 12 student, Hemant John went viral. According to reports, parents of the Hindu students, along with the members of Hindu organisations, protested outside the Christian missionary school, revealing that the school of involved in conducting illegal conversion and anti-Hindu activities. Parents of Hindu students stated that the school manager, Vardhan, and the school principal taught anti-Hindu literature to students and pressured them to study Christian literature. The school actively brainwashed and indoctrinated Hindu students and taught them the Bible in an effort to convert them to Christianity. Hindu students, who wore a tilak on their forehead, were denied entry into the school and their kalava (sacred thread) was removed. It was also revealed that the national anthem was reportedly not sung during assemblies. Hindu activists belonging to Vishwa Hindu Parishad staged protests outside the school, accusing the school authorities of hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus. They claimed that it was because of this indoctrination, that the class 12 student Hemant John made derogatory posts against Hindu deities. They demanded strict action against the management and principal for promoting anti-Hindu practices. Police assured the protesters that they would investigate the matter and take strict legal action against the perpetrators. Parents and Hindu activists also raised concerns that these activities were part of a broader pattern aimed at influencing students away from their faith and undermining Hindu cultural identity.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category selected of- Predatory Proselytisation. Within it, the sub-category selected is - Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination, with the tertiary category being - Conversion of minor and 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 proselytization, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. The other sub-category selected here is - Attempting 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 sub-category relevant here - 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. The second primary category selected here is- Restriction/ban on Hindu religious practice. Within this, the subcategory selected is- Restriction on expression of Hindu identity. An example of the state-affected prejudicial and targeted orders against the Hindu community would be a government denying the right of a Hindu or a group of Hindus to hold a religious procession owing to the animosity of non-Hindu groups. Denial of the religious right of the Hindus to assuage the non-Hindu group which harbours animosity to a point where it could lead to violence against Hindus is not only a failure of law and order but is a prejudicial order against Hindus, denying them their fundamental rights to express their religious identity. An example of a hate crime against Hindus by a non-Hindu would be a non-Hindu institution forcing its Hindu employees to abandon religious symbols that a Hindu would wear as an expression of faith owing to inherent prejudice against the faith professed by the victim or a non-Hindu group of people restricting a Hindu group from constructing a place of worship simply because the demography of the area in which the temple is being built is dominated by non-Hindus. Such actions are driven by religious animosity and/or prejudice against Hindus and their faith and would therefore be categorized as a hate crime. This case has been added to the tracker because Hindu students were brainwashed for religious conversion and were denied entry for wearing a tilak and kalava by school authorities at a Christian missionary school. Firstly, it is important to understand here that the tilak or kalava are not merely decorative things; they hold profound spiritual and cultural significance for Hindus. They are emblems of Hindu religious identity, often worn during prayers, rituals, and as a daily affirmation of faith. Forcing Hindu students to remove these religious symbols is a deliberate effort to erase their religious identity and expression. Such an act is deeply disrespectful and is an attack on the core values and practices of Hinduism. Second, the accused forced Hindu students to read the Bible and missionary literature, while simultaneously denigrating Hinduism in an effort to convert them to Christianity. Attempting to brainwash, indoctrinate or force the Hindu students to convert was a direct attack on their religious identity and dignity. It is not a matter of personal choice; it is coercion rooted in hostility towards the victim's Hindu identity. Such an attempt reflects religious animosity because the act is not simply about personal differences but about erasing the victim’s Hindu faith, making it a religiously motivated crime. Thirdly, the perpetrators denigrated Hinduism and taught anti-Hindu literature to the students. This goes beyond religious debate or proselytisation; it constitutes an act of incitement and insult directed at the core beliefs of the Hindu community. Such actions are aimed at demeaning and undermining the faith of Hindus and are intended to create an inferiority complex in the minds of the victims against their own faith. This fosters an environment of hostility and disrespect towards the Hindu community and Hindu deities. These acts of insulting Hinduism stem from Christian theology, which harbours disdain and hatred for polytheistic faiths, and which categorises Hindus as ‘polytheists’, thereby fostering hatred against them. This resulted in the arrest of one of the students who made anti-Hindu posts on social media. Such actions make the religiously motivated nature of the crime even more evident. Fourth, these conversion activities were conducted inside a school where the primary targets were students. Therefore, many of the students who were being indoctrinated for conversion were minors, which means the element of consent and genuine change of conscience was missing ab initio. Minors, due to their young age and lack of maturity, are particularly vulnerable to manipulation and coercion. They may not have the ability to fully understand the implications of their actions and are not in a position to give informed consent or resist pressures when someone tries to distance them from their faith. Here, it is important to mention that in 2022, a massive controversy erupted in Karnataka, which took a national form, after Muslim women insisted that they should be allowed to wear burqas and hijabs in their schools and classrooms. At that time, the argument given by several politicians, social commentators, Hindu activists, and even the judiciary was that schools have the right to enforce uniform rules, since wearing uniforms brings harmony and equality in the classroom, and therefore, schools not allowing girls to wear hijab in the classroom is not religious discrimination, but merely an enforcement of widely accepted uniform norms. The pseudo-seculars and leftist groups may argue that a similar line of reasoning should be applied in this case. However, it becomes important to mention here that most uniform codes focus on standardising clothing and accessories like shoes, belts, and hair. A tilak and kalava do not change the appearance of the uniform itself. This religious symbol is benign and does not cause disruption or harm, raising serious concerns about the motivations behind such enforcement. When an ostensibly secular institution, such as a government school, imposes restrictions specifically targeting Hindu religious symbols, it reflects institutional prejudice against Hinduism. This form of targeted suppression echoes broader patterns where Hindu practices are curtailed under the guise of neutrality or discipline, often to appease other religious groups. These actions cannot be seen in isolation. They represent a wider pattern where Hindu children are pressured, prohibited, and punished for practising their religion. Such actions serve as the first step in a larger pattern of grooming, where consistent ridicule and suppression of Hindu practices make a child more susceptible to abandoning their faith. These actions leave Hindu children in a state of confusion about whether their religious practices are wrong or unacceptable in society. At an impressionable age, when children are still forming their sense of self, being told that their sacred symbols cannot be worn and their deities are being ridiculed creates inner conflict and weakens their connection to their faith. Over time, this can instil a sense of shame or embarrassment about openly practising Hinduism, making them hesitant to uphold their traditions in public spaces. These actions reflect a deliberate and organised attempt to suppress Hindu identity and impose Christian beliefs upon Hindu students. The removal of sacred symbols forced exposure to Christian texts, and the denigration of Hindu practices collectively constitute a systematic effort to erode Hindu faith within the educational environment. Since such actions are rooted in religious animosity, this case has been added to the tracker. Here, it is important to note that the hate speech aspect of this incident, involving anti-Hindu posts made by student Hemant John, has been documented separately in the Hinduphobia Tracker. Since his actions constitute a clear instance of religiously motivated hate speech targeting Hindus, it has been recorded as a distinct case under the relevant categories of Hate speech against Hindus. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents based on when an event occurred or when the victim's ordeal began. It is important to clarify that none of the media sources covering this case has specified the exact date since when he conversion activities began. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date of the incident as 13 October 2025 - the date on which the protests occurred.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
