Hindu families enticed to convert to Christianity through promises of financial benefits and essential supplies
Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, India 
18 April, 2025
Case Summary
In Anupshahr, Bulandshahr, Hindu families were being enticed to convert to Christianity through offers of financial incentives and essential commodities. The incident took place during a devotional programme held at the residence of Sunil Jatav in the Nehruganj locality. Local residents accused a visiting pastor from a Mumbai-based church of targeting poor Dalit families by offering monetary benefits and supplies to influence their religious beliefs. Gaurav, a resident of the Delhi Gate area, filed a complaint against the pastor and three others. Councillor Sandeep Bhardwaj echoed the concerns, stating that conversions were being carried out discreetly by exploiting people's economic vulnerabilities. Police arrived at the scene upon receiving the information and confirmed that Christian hymns were being sung. However, they stated that no concrete evidence of religious conversion was found during their preliminary investigation. Sunil Jatav also denied any involvement in conversion activities.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under primary category of : - 'Predatory Proselytization' and the 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. In this particular case, the Christian evangelists were overtly trying to convert Hindus by glorifying their own faith, Christianity and offering promises of financial benefits and essential supplies. In an effort to indoctrinate Hindus against their religion, which itself is a product of hostility towards the Hindu faith, they were extolling their faith by promoting Jesus. The accused were also exploiting the economic vulnerabilities of the victims, who belonged to the economically backward section of society, by offering them monetary benefits and essential supplies in exchange for abandoning their faith and adopting Christianity. Luring Hindus to convert to a different faith by offering money and various other inducements is predatory in nature since the extremists manipulate the specific vulnerabilities of disadvantaged and poor Hindus to manipulate them into conversion. This stems from inherent hostility towards the victim's professed faith since Abrahamic faiths believe that any non-adherent to the faith is a subject to be dehumanised till they convert. Since such predatory actions stem from doctrinal animosity towards the Hindu faith and its adherents, this case is being documented as a religiously motivated hate crime. In this case, the police stated that no evidence of religious conversion was found. However, this does not negate the reality that Dalit families participating in the program were subjected to conversion by Christian evangelists through various incentives. Local testimonies indicate that financial aid, including bags of rice and other essentials, was being distributed as inducements for conversion. As seen in many similar incidents, the police often deny the presence of a communal or religious motive behind such confrontations. Several factors typically influence this denial. In some instances, local police may underplay the nature of the incident to avoid scrutiny over law and order in their jurisdiction. In other cases, the aim may be to prevent further tension in a sensitive area. The repeated assertion that there is "no communal angle" is also often echoed by sections of the media and socio-political circles who are hesitant to acknowledge targeted hostility, especially when the victims are from Hindu or Dalit communities. However, dismissing the religious dimension of such incidents on the basis of preliminary police statements overlooks the lived experiences of the victims and witnesses. In this case, Dalit families were reportedly offered material benefits, and Christian hymns were being sung. Such incidents reveal deeper patterns of targeted proselytisation, economic exploitation of poor Hindu families. It is crucial to recognise the on-ground realities, including community sentiment, patterns of inducement, and the religious identity of those targeted. Therefore, while the police may have found "no evidence" of conversion at the time of inquiry, the broader context — including the presence of a pastor from another state, the distribution of aid, and complaints from community leaders — indicates that the religious identity of the participants was central to the unrest. This makes the incident more than just a neighborhood dispute; it highlights a pattern of exploitation framed within religious motives, and for that reason, it has been included in the hate tracker.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
