Hindu villagers lured, brainwashed with religious text and offered inducements for conversion by Christian missionaries
Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh, India 
7 March, 2026
Case Summary
In the Indira Nagar ward area of Maharajganj district, Uttar Pradesh, Dalit Hindu villagers, belonging to the Kanjar community, were lured and offered inducements for religious conversion by Christian missionaries. The incident occurred on 8 March 2026, when a prayer/healing meeting was organised inside a house in the Kanjar Basti of Baikunthpur locality. Hindu organisations received information that the prayer gathering was being used to influence members of the marginalised Hindu community, the Kanjar community, to convert their religion to Christianity, by offering inducements such as education and other facilities. The news quickly spread among local residents and Hindu organisations, escalating tensions in the locality. Following the information, Hindu Jagran Manch district coordinator Ambrish Sharma, also known as Golu Bhaiya, reached the location along with his supporters and objected to the prayer meeting. Members of Hindu organisations protested at the site, stating that the meeting was being conducted as a front for religious conversion activities. The situation escalated into a commotion in the area, prompting the police to intervene. Police personnel reached the location and detained several individuals present at the venue for questioning in order to bring the situation under control. As the police began taking individuals to the police station, a large number of women from the Kanjar settlement also gathered outside the station, demanding information and expressing concern over the detentions. The sudden gathering of residents created chaos within the police station premises for some time, and officers struggled to control the crowd. Authorities subsequently initiated a detailed inquiry into the matter. Based on a complaint filed by Bajrang Dal district vice-president Ambrish Verma, the police registered a case against five individuals for attempting religious conversion under the guise of a prayer meeting. According to the police, the prayer gathering had been organised by Gaurav Kumar Gond, a resident of Bali village in Nichlaul police station area, along with his associates including Ramkeval of Subhash Nagar, Sonu Karoul of Dera locality, and two minors. Police detained the accused from the prayer meeting venue and recovered several books from their possession during the operation. Gaurav Kumar Gond and Sonu Karoul were formally booked and sent for further legal proceedings, while 65-year-old Ramkeval and the two minors were questioned as part of the investigation. Further details that emerged during the inquiry indicated that the main accused, Gaurav Kumar Gond, had been active across different parts of the district. His father, Girish, worked as a clerk at a missionary school in the Nichlaul area and had been employed there for several years, while his mother served as a village head. Police officials stated that the entire matter was being examined carefully and that further action would be taken on the basis of 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, 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 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 selected 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 members of the Dalit Hindu Kanjar community in the Indira Nagar ward area of Maharajganj district were targeted and offered inducements for religious conversion under the guise of a prayer/healing meeting organised by Christian missionaries. Firstly, members of the marginalised Kanjar community were lured into conversion under the guise of a healing meeting, also known as Changai sabha. 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. In this case, 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. By conducting such gatherings, the Christian missionaries sought to manipulate vulnerable Hindus, taking advantage of their emotional and social circumstances to push them towards conversion. Such actions demonstrate that the gathering was not merely a routine social or religious meeting but part of a deliberate effort to propagate another faith among Hindu residents of the locality. Secondly, members of the community were targeted with inducements such as access to education and other benefits in order to encourage conversion. 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, the use of Christian religious literature during the meeting highlights an attempt to indoctrinate the Hindu attendees. Using the scriptures or literature of one faith to deliberately target and manipulate members of another, with the clear intention of religious conversion, represents a direct attack on the Hindu faith. Such actions are designed to violate and undermine the beliefs of Hindu victims and are clear indicators of religious hostility towards Hindus and their religious identity. Such actions further demonstrate that this was not an isolated incident of evangelism, but rather part of a broader, organised operation to further religious conversions. When Christian religious material is used to exploit trust, sow doubt, and misrepresent the beliefs of Hindus to coerce conversion. Fourth, it was also revealed that the accused was also involved in similar conversion efforts across the district. Therefore, it was not an isolated incident, but part of a pattern aimed at converting Hindus. 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 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. Given that the incident involved a structured attempt to propagate Christianity among Hindus with the intention of converting them, this case has been included in the tracker.
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
