200 Hindu villagers targeted for conversion under guise of prayer meeting by Christian missionaries in Uttar Pradesh

Case ID : d327904 | Location : Lakhimpur, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Sat, 21 February, 2026

Case ID : d327904

Lakhimpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

21 February, 2026

200 Hindu villagers targeted for conversion under guise of prayer meeting by Christian missionaries in Uttar Pradesh

Predatory Proselytisation

Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination

Case Summary

In the Magalganj town of Lakhimpur Kheri district, Uttar Pradesh, 200 Hindu villagers were targeted for conversion under the guise of a prayer meeting by Christian missionaries. According to reports, a disturbance broke out during a Christian prayer meeting held at a private residence on Madhiya Ghat Road in the town of Magalganj. The prayer meeting took place on the afternoon of 22 February 2026 and was attended by more than 200 Hindu villagers, including women. Activists associated with Hindu organisations reached the location after receiving information about the prayer meeting and began protesting at the site, stating that the meeting was being used to carry out religious conversions. The situation escalated into an uproar, prompting the intervention of the local police. Officers from Magalganj police station arrived at the scene and brought the situation under control. Several individuals present at the meeting, including the organiser, were detained and taken to the police station for questioning. Circle Officer Yaduvendra Yadav of Mitauli stated that the police team acted upon information regarding religious conversions and conducted an on-site inquiry. Material recovered from the location was examined, and upon verification of the facts, a case was registered under relevant legal provisions. Further legal action was initiated in accordance with the findings of the investigation.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. Within it, the sub-category selected is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. 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 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. This case has been added to the tracker because 200 Hindu villagers, including women, were targeted for conversion under the guise of a prayer meeting by Christian missionaries. The term prayer meeting generally implied a spiritual gathering meant for sincere worship and reflection. However, in this situation, the prayer meeting had been exploited as a deceptive tool to lure the innocent and vulnerable Hindus in. Instead of genuine spiritual engagement, the accused had manipulated the event to brainwash and indoctrinate these Hindu attendees with Christian theology, aiming to convert them against their will. This deliberate exploitation and targeting of a specific religious group, in this case Hindus, underlined the religiously motivated nature of this hate crime. These are not genuine community prayers but calculated efforts to exploit the trust of Hindus and manipulate them into abandoning their faith. It is a well-recognised tool in organised Christian proselytisation networks. These gatherings usually employ reading religious texts, testimonies and emotionally charged prayer sessions to influence and induce vulnerable individuals without openly declaring the underlying religious objective. By conducting such gatherings, the Christian missionaries had sought to manipulate vulnerable Hindus, taking advantage of their emotional and social circumstances to push them towards conversion. The Christian faith, by its theological foundations, places a strong emphasis on proselytisation. In pursuit of conversion objectives, Christian evangelists often employ unethical means, ranging from prayer meetings and misinformation to inducements such as money, jobs or healing illnesses. Such tactics to enforce Christianity on Hindus highlight the religiously motivated nature of the crime. Therefore, this case is being added to the hate crime database of the tracker. Disclaimer: Media reports state that around 200 Hindu villagers, including men and women, were targeted for conversion, but no gender-wise or age-wise breakdown was provided. For documentation clarity, the Hinduphobia Tracker has applied a proportional demographic estimate based on India’s Census 2011 and NFHS-5 (2019–21) rural population patterns. Accordingly, the 200 participants are estimated as 100 men (50%) and 100 women (50%), reflecting an equal gender distribution consistent with typical rural family demographics.