Vulnerable Hindu villagers lured with cash to convert by Christian evangelists in Varanasi, UP
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India 
23 January, 2026
Case Summary
In Varanasi, UP, Hindu villagers were lured to convert through offering monetary benefits by Christian evangelists. Vijay Kumar Bharti, son of Lalji and resident of Parmandapur village, targeted vulnerable Hindus with promises of money and benefits. As per reports, Gulab Singh, son of the late Brahmadev Singh and resident of Jansa village, was one of the Hindu victims. He was taken to the accused’s home and offered a total of 40,000 rupees, with 5,000 rupees given immediately and a promise of 35,000 rupees after conversion. As per the victim, the accused had stated that Christianity was the best religion in the world and that those who converted would receive economic, educational, and social benefits, while Hinduism offered none. Alarmed by this attempt to undermine his faith, Gulab Singh informed Aman Kumar Seth, son of Dinesh Seth. Seth also served as the district campaigner chief of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Upon receiving the information from the victim, Seth complained to the police, highlighting the pressure placed on Hindus to abandon their religion. Following the victim's complaint, the Jansa police registered a case against the Christian perpetrator. A case was filed under various sections, including Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code for cheating, Section 295A for deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings, Section 120B for criminal conspiracy, and relevant provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021. The accused was arrested and sent to jail. The investigation was ongoing, with police gathering information about other Christian perpetrators linked to the gang.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category selected in this case is Predatory Proselytisation. The subcategory selected is- Conversion/ attempts to convert by inducements. 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 subcategory selected is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. The tertiary categories selected are- 'Pattern of targeting Hindus' and 'Victim says was brainwashed/groomed'. Religious brainwashing essentially means the often subtle and forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up their religious beliefs and 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 that 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 the 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 proselytisation, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. The other sub-category chosen 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. This case unequivocally represented a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus due to the coercive tactics employed by the Christian perpetrators to forcibly convert by offering a huge amount of money to poor Hindu villagers. The targeting in this case was deliberate and calculated. The accused focused on economically vulnerable Hindus who were struggling to meet necessities, exploiting their financial distress to place them in a position of helplessness. Such selective targeting shows that the intent was not religious dialogue but manipulation rooted in inequality and power imbalance. The offer of money was conditional and directly linked to abandoning the Hindu faith, removing any element of free or informed choice. This financial inducement functioned as pressure rather than support, using economic desperation as a tool to push conversion. The harm was further aggravated by the denigration of Hinduism itself. By portraying Christianity as superior and dismissing Hinduism as offering no social, educational, or economic value, the accused attacked the dignity of the victim’s faith and identity. Taken together, the intentional selection of poor Hindu villagers, the use of monetary inducement, and the demeaning portrayal of Hindu beliefs establish this incident as a clear case of faith-based targeting and coercion, warranting its inclusion in the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The report suggests that many Hindu villagers were targeted by the accused, however, since one person came forward and filed the complaint, the victim count has conservatively kept 1 for ducumentation purposes.
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
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
