Hindus were targeted for religious conversion under the guise of a prayer meeting, Hindu activist attacked for opposing predatory proselytisation activities
Prayagraj (Allahabad), Uttar Pradesh, India 
28 November, 2025
Case Summary
In the Miyorabad area of Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, Hindus were targeted and offered inducements for religious conversion under the guise of a prayer meeting by a Christian Pastor, Peter Raju. According to reports, Pastor Peter Raju organised an illegal prayer meeting inside his house. When members of the Hindu organisation, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, were informed about the illegal prayer meeting, they immediately reached the site and confronted the accused. They stated that a religious conversion programme targeting Hindus was underway, after which the police were informed. They also revealed that the Pastor was enticing Hindus for conversion with promises of jobs and money. When Hindu activists opposed these activities, one of the Hindu activists, Amit Mishra, was also assaulted by the accused. Police arrived at the site and found that 25–30 people had assembled at the Christian prayer meeting, which was being held without the required permission from the administration. Police immediately stopped the event and cautioned Peter Raju against conducting such illegal gatherings in the future without official approval. As of the date of writing this report, a complaint was filed, and local Hindu groups warned that if legal action was not taken against those responsible, they would initiate protests.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of - Predatory Proselytisation. Within it, the subcategory 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 proselytization, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. The other sub-category selected here 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 second primary category selected is - Attack not resulting in death. The subcategory under this 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. This case has been added to the tracker because Hindus were targeted and offered inducements for religious conversion under the guise of a prayer meeting by the Christian Pastor, Peter Raju. Firstly, the Christian pastor lured Hindus for religious conversion under the guise of a prayer meeting. What was presented as a simple prayer meeting inside a house was in reality a covert attempt at religious conversion. These were not genuine community prayers but calculated efforts to exploit the trust of Hindus and manipulate them into abandoning their faith. Furthermore, the prayer meetings were organised without permission from the administration, indicating an attempt at deception and secrecy. By conducting such a prayer meeting covertly, the Christian missionaries sought to manipulate vulnerable Hindus, taking advantage of their emotional and social circumstances to push them towards conversion. Secondly, Hindu activists also revealed that the Pastor was also enticing Hindus for conversion with promises of jobs and money. Offering incentives or making false promises, especially when directed at vulnerable individuals in need, shows that these incentives are not acts of kindness or charity. Instead, they are calculated moves to exploit vulnerable Hindus because of their religion. By providing inducements or promising healing in exchange for conversion, the accused were effectively blackmailing those who might have been desperate for assistance or hope. 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. These are not random or isolated incidents, but rather cases deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims. Thirdly, Hindu activist Amit Mishra was attacked and assaulted when members of Hindu organisation confronted the Christian accused. This violence was aimed at silencing those raising objections to predatory proselytisation. The violence was not incidental. It was aimed at preventing Hindus from protecting other Hindus from being converted. Therefore, the assault becomes an extension of the religiously motivated crime. It is a retaliatory attack against those who opposed the conversion activity. 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 tactics are designed not as acts of charity but as tools to engineer religious change under the guise of social upliftment, particularly among vulnerable and underprivileged communities. 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 when the conversion activities began. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date based on when the incident was reported in the media, 29 November 2025.
Victim Details
Total Victim
31
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 1
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 30
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 1
- Unknown 30
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 30
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
