Hindu villages brainwashed for religious conversion under guise of healing meeting by Christian missionaries
Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
6 January, 2026
Case Summary
In the Rampur village of Shahjahanpur district, Uttar Pradesh, Hindu villages were brainwashed for religious conversion under the guise of a healing meeting/Changhai sabha by Christian missionaries. According to reports, a Christian woman named Muniya Devi was brainwashing Hindu villagers for religious conversions under the cover of healing meetings organised every Sunday. Villagers stated that these gatherings were conducted to influence vulnerable Hindu residents through claims of miraculous cures and healing. They also revealed that these activities had been going on in the village for a long time, leading to tensions within the village. When this information came to light, Thakur Raghavendra Pratap Singh, National President of the Bharatiya Hindu Sarkar, issued a public warning to the local administration, stating that religious conversions carried out in the name of healing meetings would not be tolerated. He gave the administration a deadline until 11 January 2025 through social media and stated that failure to take action against those involved would result in an on-site protest by members of his organisation. Local residents also approached authorities, demanding an impartial inquiry and strict action against the perpetrators. The officer in charge of Garhiya Rangin police station, Harikesh Singh, confirmed that the matter was under investigation and that appropriate legal action would follow upon completion of the inquiry.
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. Under this, the tertiary category selected is: 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. This case has been added to the tracker because Hindu villages were brainwashed for religious conversion under the guise of a healing meeting/Changhai sabha by Christian missionaries. The Changai Sabha format, often described publicly as a faith healing gathering, is a well-recognised tool in organised Christian proselytisation networks. These meetings usually employ songs, testimonies and emotionally charged prayer sessions to influence and induce vulnerable individuals without openly declaring the underlying objective. The absence of transparency is itself central to the method. People attend believing they are seeking comfort, healing or spiritual support, only to be gradually drawn into teachings that undermine their own religious identity and introduce them to the Christian framework presented as the only path to relief. These healing meetings served as inducements designed to manipulate individuals towards conversion. Offering incentives or promoting the promise of healing, particularly to those facing distress or vulnerability, demonstrated that these actions were not acts of charity or compassion. Instead, they functioned as calculated strategies to exploit Hindus on the basis of religion. By 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. Furthermore, villagers also revealed that these healing meetings were organised every Sunday. Thus, it was not an isolated incident, but a sustained pattern of targeting Hindus for conversion. When individuals or groups focus their efforts on converting members of a particular religion, in this case, Hindus, then it demonstrates a fundamental disregard for the Hindu faith. Conversion, especially when not based on personal conviction but rather on external persuasion or pressure, is not simply about sharing a different belief system. It is an attempt to undermine the values, traditions, and identity of the Hindu community. In this context, the Christian perpetrators specifically targeted Hindus, which demonstrates a lack of respect for Hinduism and its followers. Such actions are carried out to strip Hindu victims of their faith, making it a religiously motivated crime. 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. Since such acts are deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims, and thus, this case was added to the tracker.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
female
Sources 
