Uttar Pradesh has seen a noticeable increase in Christian missionary-led conversion activities, raising concerns about religious manipulation through so-called “healing” events, temporary prayer halls, and community gatherings.

These programs, often operating under the guise of offering medical help, financial support, or social upliftment, primarily target economically and socially vulnerable Hindu communities.

Recent cases in cities like Lucknow and Gorakhpur have shed light on the growing use of deceptive tactics by individuals who secretly converted to Christianity commonly referred to as crypto-converts and are now involved in orchestrating mass religious conversions.

Widespread Exposure of Missionary Activities Across India

Similar to earlier reports concerning Islamic missionary work, Christian conversion campaigns appear to be expanding, particularly in rural and semi-urban regions of Uttar Pradesh. The state is now home to numerous Changai Sabhas (healing prayer sessions), temporary churches, and door-to-door outreach led by newly converted Christians who often conceal their religious identity.

These events frequently make promises of healing, improved livelihoods, better job prospects, or even marriage to encourage participation and eventual conversion. However, under Uttar Pradesh’s stringent anti-conversion laws namely the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act and applicable sections of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) several individuals have already been arrested and charged.

Lucknow Man Arrested for Converting Over 50 Hindus

In a major case from Lucknow, a man formerly known as Malkhan, now going by the name Mathew, was arrested for allegedly converting more than 50 Hindus. According to the complaint filed by local activist Dharmendra Sharma, Mathew had converted around ten years ago and began holding bi-monthly “healing sessions” at a makeshift venue built on his farmland in Bakhtaurikheda Mehndauli village.

During these gatherings, he reportedly, sprinkled “holy water”, read from the Bible, showed videos of churches and missionary sermons via projector, made claims of curing illnesses such as arthritis, epilepsy, and respiratory conditions and discouraged devotion to Hindu deities and promoted Christianity

An FIR (No. 186/2025) was registered at Nigoha Police Station on September 28. Following the complaint, a team led by ACP Rajneesh Verma and supervised by DCP Nipun Agarwal arrested Mathew and seized Bibles and promotional content from his residence.

Authorities are now investigating the financial sources backing his activities, including a probe into the bank accounts of his family members. Police have confirmed that he also conducted baptism ceremonies, particularly focusing on Scheduled Caste families. The arresting team was rewarded ₹25,000 for their swift action.

Over 100 Villagers Attend Suspected Conversion Event in Gorakhpur

Another case surfaced in Gorakhpur on the same day. A religious gathering held at the residence of Lakshmi Yadav in Bhagaura village, Sahjanwa area, was allegedly part of a conversion campaign. The event, attended by over 100 villagers mostly women was disrupted after members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) intervened.

Saurabh Jaiswal, VHP’s district vice-president, filed a formal complaint (FIR No. 509/2025) at Sahjanwa Police Station, accusing Lakshmi and unidentified accomplices of attempting to convert attendees by claiming that prayer sessions could cure illnesses.

Lakshmi, whose husband left her years ago, stated during questioning that she began turning to prayer after struggling with kidney stones. She said a person in Bahraich had introduced her to a religious text and daily prayer practices, after which she started hosting weekly prayer sessions under the pretense of offering healing.

She and three others are currently being interrogated. Authorities have confirmed that four people were taken into custody for further investigation.

Broader Pattern Emerging Across the State

These incidents are not isolated. Reports of faith-based conversion attempts disguised as welfare or healing programs are becoming increasingly frequent in Uttar Pradesh. The enforcement of anti-conversion laws has intensified, and many are now watching to see whether the judicial system will deliver strict penalties to those found guilty.

Moreover, these developments have reignited the ongoing debate about the misuse of affirmative action and reservation benefits. Many individuals from Dalit and tribal communities who have converted to Christianity allegedly continue to claim Scheduled Caste benefits that are reserved for Hindus. This has led to growing demands for a policy reassessment, with some suggesting that caste-based benefits should be limited to those who remain within the Hindu fold.

Critics argue that such conversions, often induced through financial incentives or emotional manipulation, dilute the spirit of social justice and divert resources away from those who genuinely need them.

(With inputs from Organiser)

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The post Authorities Crack Down On Crypto-Missionary Conversion Rackets In UP’s Lucknow & Gorakhpur appeared first on The Commune.

The Andhra Pradesh High Court has ordered the Guntur Collector to cancel the Scheduled Caste (SC) certificate of the chairperson of the Guntur Zilla Parishad, who was elected to the position reserved for Scheduled Castes in September 2021.

In September 2021, Heni Christina of Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSRCP was unanimously elected as the chairperson of Guntur’s Zilla Parishad. She won by a margin of 17500 votes from a constituency reserved for the scheduled caste candidates.

According to The Hindu, she stated,“We are forever grateful to Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who had fulfilled his promise of elevating a Dalit woman to the coveted post. We assure that we will live up our leader’s expectation and ensure that welfare schemes are taken to the doorstep of the people”.

Christina is the wife of Christian pastor Bishop K Suresh Kumar who runs the Christian missionary organization Harvest India.

Mandru Sarla Kumari, a Guntur native and SC Hindu, filed complaints with the district administration about bishop Suresh Kathera and his wife Heni Christina’s conversion activities.

She alleged that Christian Bishop Kattera Suresh Kumar is holding a Scheduled Caste certificate to avail reservation benefits despite being a Christian Bishop, maintaining a big church, running several Bible colleges and awarding Christian theology degree through a large evangelical organization namely Harvest India.

She had presented plenty of evidence to show that the pastor and his family are Christians but use SC Hindu certificates to illegally obtain government benefits.

Regardless of the evidence, the collector declared Kathera and his family to be SC Hindus, despite the fact that they run 10 bible colleges and a church called King’s Temple.

Election Petition filed in the AP High Court challenging the candidature of Heny Christina who is a Christian contested from SC reserved ZP Constituency, Guntur with SC caste certificate.

Her husband, Bishop K Suresh Kumar was recently declared as Hindu by Dist Collector. pic.twitter.com/bRLpD7ak86

— Legal Rights Protection Forum (@lawinforce) September 27, 2021

The Legal Rights Protection Forum, an organization working for the rights of Dalits and tribal communities, filed a petition at the Andhra Pradesh High Court in September 2021, challenging Heni Christina’s candidacy from the reserved ZP constituency Guntur.

As per the Constitutional (Scheduled Castes) Order of the President 1950, a person ceases to be a member of the Scheduled Caste community if he/she professes a religion other than Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism.

Recently, in the case filed by LRPF, the Andhra Pradesh High Court recognized Mr. Kathera Suresh Kumar, President of Harvest India, and his wife Heni Christina, Guntur ZP Chairperson as Christians, not Hindu SCs, and ordered the District Collector to cancel their SC Caste Certificates.

#Victory: Finally, the Andhra Pradesh High Court recognized Mr. Kathera Suresh Kumar, President of Harvest India & his Wife Heny Christina, Guntur ZP Chairperson as Christians, not Hindu SCs. Ordered the District Collector to cancel their SC Caste Certificates. https://t.co/qP282f7rw4

— Legal Rights Protection Forum (@lawinforce) November 15, 2022

LRPF had previously unearthed FCRA violations at Bishop Kathera’s missionary organization, Harvest India, and lodged a complaint with the Ministry of Home Affairs. Bishop Kathera had told his foreign audience, “Pastors are being killed. Churches are being burned. Our Prime Minister is a bad guy. He doesn’t want Christians in India.” Kathera and his wife are both YSRCP members.

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The marriage of a practicing Christian man under a Hindu name whose marriage was scheduled to take place in Chennai’s Kapaleeswarar Temple, was averted with the efforts of Hindu Munnani and other Hindu organizations.

According to Hindu Munnani’s Chennai city President, AT Elangovan, a Hindu Munnani office bearer had filed a complaint based on information sent to them by a temple devotee, that a man named R. Appu Raja, alleged to be a ‘crypto-Christian’, was planning to get married at the Mylapore Kapaleeswarar Temple on November 7, 2022.

சென்னை மயிலாப்பூர் அருள்மிகு கபாலீஸ்வரர் கோயிலில் பணிபுரியும்!கிறிஸ்தவ நபருக்கு அதே கோயிலில் இன்று திருமணம் நடக்க இருப்பதாகவும்,
மாலை சாந்தோம் சர்ச்சில் வரவேற்பு நிகழ்ச்சி நடத்துவதாகவும் திருமண பத்திரிகையில் அச்சிடப்பட்டு உள்ளது என பக்தர் ஒருவர் கொடுத்த தகவலின் பேரில், pic.twitter.com/auYgZfa5lX

— A.T.Elangovan (@elangovan_HM) November 7, 2022

The complaint filed by the Balasubramaniyam with the Deputy Commissioner of Mylapore Kapaleeswarar Temple stated that the marriage between R. Appu Raja and A. Narmada was to be held on the morning of November 7, 2022 at the Kapaleeswarar temple. It added that Appu Raja does not belong to the Hindu religion and hence it was against the Agamas and the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments Act urging the authorities to not allow the temple to be used for the event.

The wedding invitation mentions Appu Raja as working with the HR&CE Department. From the posters stuck for the wedding, it came to light that Appu Raja, who was recruited by the DMK government last year to work in the HR&CE department, was the Deputy Organizer of the DMK Mylapore East student wing.

Hindu Munnani  AT Elangovan stated that, in addition to halting the marriage, Hindu Munnani has demanded the removal of crypto-Christian (a practicing Christian but Hindu on paper) from the HR&CE department. He also stated that if no action was taken, Hindu Munnani has planned to hold democratic protests as the next step.

After a few hours, AT Elangovan tweeted that the marriage of a crypto-Christian in a Hindu temple had been successfully halted and was held at some other place.

However, he added that their demands for the removal of the crypto-Christian from the HR&CE had not yet been accepted, and that Hindu Munnani will continue to protest until the crypto-Christian is removed from the HR&CE.

AT Elangovan concluded, “The anti-Hindu DMK and the HR&CE department, who hired Christians in the temple to destroy Hindu beliefs, should leave the temple.”

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A case of alleged falsification of religion has cropped up in Tamil Nadu after allegations were levelled against VCK leader Vanni Arasu for illegally contesting from a constituency reserved for Hindu Scheduled Caste despite being a Christian.

This controversy came to light after pictures of funeral of Vanni Arasu’s father Rathinasamy 2 came to light on social media. The pictures posted by him show that he was buried as per Christian customs.

https://twitter.com/VanniArasu_VCK/status/1456141667493240832

தம்பி வன்னிஅரசுவின்
தந்தை திரு.இரத்தினசாமி அவர்கள் காலமானதையொட்டி விருதுநகர் மாவட்டம் மல்லாங்கிணறு அருகேயுள்ள அயன்ரெட்டியாபட்டி கிராமத்துக்குச் சென்று அய்யாவுக்கு அஞ்சலி செலுத்தினோம். வன்னிஅரசுவின் தாயார் மற்றும் குடும்பத்தினருக்கு ஆறுதல் தெரிவித்தோம். pic.twitter.com/aYtHZxh5eu

— Thol. Thirumavalavan (@thirumaofficial) November 3, 2021

Vanni Arasu is a member of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, an ally of DMK. He contested from Schedule Caste (SC) reserved constituency of Vanur in 2021 Assembly Election and lost. He had won from the same constituency in 2016 Assembly elections. He is known for being rabidly anti-Hindu.

According to HinduPost, during a live debate in 2020 Vanni Arasu had said “We take pride in our continuous campaign against Hinduism and Hindutva”.

In another debate, he said that Hindu Dharma should be abolished and it will be achieved only by abolishing caste, the Hindu Post reported.

During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, he had arbitrarily introduced the Annadana scheme for Covid-19 patients wherein Arasu had demanded that non-vegetarian soups should be offered to the patients and that beef soup would be a better option as it will increase the immunity in all government hospitals.

As per the law, those who have converted from Hinduism to another religion are not eligible to avail benefits meant for Scheduled Caste.  

The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order 1950 states that any person who professes a religion different from Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism shall cease to be a member of the Scheduled Caste (SC).

Recently in February 2021, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in response to a question in the Rajya Sabha  said that as per the Constitution of India and Indian statute, Hindu persons eligible for reservation benefits, like those belonging to Scheduled Castes, cannot avail the same benefits if they convert to Christianity or Islam.

VCK chief Thol.Thirumavalavan is also a suspected to be a converted Christian and in June, advocacy organisation Legal Rights Protection Forum had written to authorities seeking to disqualify Thirumavalavan as he had frankly admitted in an interview that he follows Christianity and that his family often attends Christian events.

To give further evidence, his sister was buried as per Christian customs, and when confronted with this he feigned ignorance and said that he didn’t know until her death that she followed Christianity.

Thirumavalavan had also called for the destruction of Chidambaram Nataraja and Madurai Meenakshi temples and had organised a conference to “Uproot Sanatana Dharma” in which anti-Hindu forces including Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin pledged to uproot Hindu Dharma.

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Church members belonging to the Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church have complained that one of their bishop converted a Hindu woman to Christianity overnight and took a bribe of ₹34 lakh to appoint her as a teacher in the government-aided school run by the Church. 

The Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church runs more than 200 schools, 40 orphanages, hospitals and an art college spread throughout Tamil Nadu.

Daniel Jayaraj, the 13th Bishop of this Church allegedly continues to hold his position despite his term ending on March 5, 2020. He also illegally dissolved the Church council and has been accused of embezzling money to the tune of ₹6 crore from foreign countries. A case pending in the Church’s court in this regard. This Bishop has now been accused filling the posts of teacher and headmaster by receiving lakhs of rupees from various persons for the schools functioning under his jurisdiction. 

An incident has come to light where a Hindu woman named Hemavathi was converted by the Bishop overnight and appointed as a teacher in the Christ Girls High School in Thanjavur after receiving ₹34 lakh as bribe from her.

Bishop Daniel Jayaraj had apparently fired the former headmaster of Christ Girls’ High School for asking about this. In place of him, Benjamin Jayaraj and one Anita Pramilapurani has been appointed by Daniel Jayaraj.

Members of the Church allege that he has appointed many people through such illegal methods. Despite complaints being filed with the Chief Education Officer in this regard no action has been taken. It has been alleged that even the CEO has been bribed ₹50,000 for such illegal appointments.

(With inputs from Dinamalar)

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