Hindu residents face pressure to convert to Christianity under the guise of prayer meeting in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh
Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, India 
9 January, 2026
Case Summary
Hindu residents faced conversion activity to Christianity during a prayer meeting conducted inside a residential premises in Bhanoti village, Bijnor district, Uttar Pradesh. The programme was organised as a Christian religious gathering and took place inside a private house within the village. During the satsang, Christian missionary texts were taught. Men and women present at the gathering were encouraged to convert to Christianity. A large number of people attended the program, including both men and women, and the religious instruction formed the central activity of the gathering. Members of the Hindu organisation Dharm Jagran Manch reached the location after receiving information about the religious gathering. On reaching the residence, the activists objected to the ongoing program and raised concerns regarding the religious activities being conducted inside the house. The activists stated that conversion activity was taking place during the program and informed the local police about the matter. Police personnel arrived at the residence following the information provided by the activists. The police interacted with the organisers of the event and collected details regarding the purpose and conduct of the religious programme being held at the premises. The Circle Officer of Afzalgarh, Alok Singh, conducted a preliminary enquiry at the spot. After the initial checking, the police claimed that no evidence of religious conversion was found during the enquiry. The police further stated that the objections raised by the activists were incorrect. No written complaint was filed in connection with the incident. The police stated that the matter would remain under further investigation.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
In this incident, it is reported that Christian prayer meeting was conducted inside a private residence in Bhanoti village of Bijnor district, Uttar Pradesh. The gathering involved men and women from the village and was organised as a religious programme where Christian missionary texts were taught. There exists a well documented pattern of vulnerable Hindu communities being targeted for Christian conversion through inducements, emotional pressure, and subtle manipulation during prayer meetings. Here too, similar allegations were raised, with concerns that the religious gathering involved attempts to influence or encourage conversion among Hindu attendees. However, at the present stage, this particular incident cannot be conclusively classified as a hate crime. While the conduct of a missionary style religious programme inside a residential setting raised legitimate concerns, the police carried out a preliminary verification and stated that they did not find concrete evidence of active religious conversion during their enquiry. The authorities also claimed that the objections raised at that point were incorrect based on their initial assessment. Importantly, although the police position weighed against immediate classification, the incident would have been categorised as a hate crime had there been a formal written complaint or any direct testimony from the victims themselves. Victim complaints or firsthand testimonies are considered sufficient and credible grounds for classification, as they are often the strongest indicators of coercion, inducement, or religious targeting, even in cases where overt evidence may not be immediately available. In this case, no written complaint was filed, and no testimony from the victims was recorded. With the absence of victim statements and the police enquiry remaining inconclusive, the available information does not meet the threshold required for definitive classification. Consequently, the incident has been placed in the undecided category, allowing for continued monitoring should further evidence, complaints, or testimonies emerge in the future. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incident dates based on when the crime occurred, rather than when the media reports it. However, in this case, media reports have not specified the exact date when the victim's ordeal began. Therefore, for documentation purposes, 10th January, 2026, the date of media reporting, has been selected as the indicative incident date.
Case Status
Complaint not filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
