Hindus villagers including children brainwashed into converting to Christianity through monetary incentives and denigrating Hinduism
Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, India 
28 June, 2025
Case Summary
In Balapur, Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, Hindu villagers, including children, were lured to convert to Christianity through monetary incentives. Members of a Christian missionary group conducted a prayer meeting aimed at converting Hindus to Christianity. The perpetrators also spoke disparagingly about Hinduism in their efforts to manipulate and persuade Hindus to discard their faith. According to news reports, the organisers of the prayer meeting were identified as Rajesh Kumar Verma and his wife, Soni Verma. The Christian prayer meeting was conducted in the Thana Mill area, which attracted a large number of local Hindu villagers, including children. The Hindu participants were offered monetary incentives of four to five thousand rupees to encourage conversion. The organisers also denigrated Hinduism and attempted to influence approximately 40 to 50 Hindu children to embrace Christianity, teaching them that Christianity is superior to Hinduism. The local Hindu residents informed both the police and Hindu organisations about these activities. Representatives from Hindu organisations arrived at the scene and expressed their outrage. The police also subsequently arrived and detained Rajesh and Soni Verma. Hindu organisations stated that the accused specifically targeted economically disadvantaged Hindus by offering them money to convert to Christianity. They also stated that such conversion events had been taking place for a long time in the village. The police arrested Rajesh and Soni Verma and registered a case against them under Uttar Pradesh’s anti-conversion law. Authorities stated that several others were involved in these conversion activities and assured that a thorough investigation would be conducted to apprehend all those responsible.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. Within this, the subcategory 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. The other subcategory selected 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. The other subcategory selected is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. The tertiary category selected is- 'Conversion of minor' and '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. In this case, in Raebareli, Hindus were lured to convert to Christianity through monetary incentives. Even denigration of Hinduism and brainwashing techniques were used to carry out the conversions. The nature of the conversion efforts and the wider impact on the Hindu community all indicate a targeted action against Hindus due to their religious identity. When individuals or groups focus their efforts on converting people of a particular religion, in this case, Hindus, then it demonstrates a fundamental disregard for that faith. Conversion, especially when not based on personal conviction but rather on external persuasion, 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 missionaries specifically targeted Hindus, which suggests a lack of respect for Hinduism and its followers. Such actions are carried out to strip Hindu villagers of their faith. Additionally, the use of monetary incentives to encourage Christian conversion clearly demonstrates that these actions were not motivated by kindness or charity. Instead, they were calculated attempts to exploit vulnerable Hindus due to their religion. By providing inducements to Hindus to change their faith, the Christian perpetrators were effectively emotionally blackmailing those vulnerable Hindus who might have been desperate for assistance. 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 Hindus of their agency and dignity and enforces forced conversions. These are not random or isolated incidents, but rather are premeditated efforts to undermine the Hindu faith, persuade Hindus to discard their own faith, and convert to Christianity. Such acts are deeply rooted in religious animosity towards Hindu victims. Furthermore, the perpetrators made derogatory remarks about Hinduism. This goes beyond religious debate or proselytisation; it constitutes an act of incitement and insult directed at the core beliefs of the Hindu community. Such remarks are designed to demean and undermine the faith of Hindus, fostering an environment of hostility and disrespect. These acts of insulting Hinduism stem from Christian theology, which harbours disdain and hatred for polytheistic faiths, and which categorises Hindus as ‘polytheists’, thereby fostering hatred against them. The Christian perpetrators also brainwashed Hindus to convert to Christianity by stating that Christianity was superior to Hinduism. This demonstrates that the Christian missionaries maliciously used manipulation as a tool to convert vulnerable, innocent Hindu villagers to Christianity. This instance again makes the religious motivation behind the crime very evident. It is also crucial to emphasise that the victims also included minors. This means that any notion of consent or genuine change of conscience was absent from the outset. Minors, due to their age and lack of maturity, are especially vulnerable to manipulation and coercion. They may not fully understand the implications of converting to another religion. In this case, the Christian perpetrators exploited this vulnerability of the Hindu children to further religious conversion, highlighting the religious motivation behind the crime. Reports also stated that such conversions had been happening for a long time. Such repeated actions, especially when they involve inducement, manipulation, and religious denigrations, are a clear example of a religiously motivated crime because they are directed at undermining the religious and cultural identity of Hindus through manipulation and unlawful means. It also highlights that the conversions weren’t isolated or accidental but part of a long-term, targeted pattern. By focusing specifically on Hindus, these Christian evangelists were religiously profiling vulnerable individuals (often from economically weaker groups) and working systematically to erase their Hindu identity. These instances of targeted proselytisation activities stem from inherent hostility towards the victim's professed faith since Abrahamic faiths believe that any non-adherent to the faith is subject to being dehumanised till they convert, making it a religiously motivated crime against Hindus. Since this case meets many parameters of a religiously motivated attack against Hindus and their faith; therefore, it is being added to the hate crime database.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
