“Saade dharam ne saanu marnaa pehle sikhaya hai, saanu maut da daraawa na deyo” (Our Dharma has taught us how to die before it taught us how to live; do not try to scare us with death), said Sahibzada Zorawar Singh (8) and Sahibzada Fateh Singh (5), the younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, in front of Mughal governor Wazir Khan in his kangaroo court in 1704 at Sirhind.
Heroic Sacrifice of Bravehearts
Wazir Khan was forcibly trying to convert them to Islam, using both threats of death and temptations of royal luxury. He believed that the duo could be easily swayed—either by fear or by temptation. He wanted to set an example among the Sikhs, to claim that ‘your Guru’s children have accepted Islam, so now it’s your turn, and you must accept Islam too.’ But he was gravely mistaken. These two divine souls, though just children by age, stood taller in their unshakeable resolve. Their refusal wasn’t just a rejection of Islam, it was a powerful assertion of Sikh valour and their resistance against tyranny.
The young Sahibzaade were offered temptations of wealth, palaces, comforts, and royal luxuries, but they boldly responded, “Jinke Dadaji ne dharam de vaaste apni kurbani dedi, tusi onha nu dharam parivartan vaaste keh ke galti kar rahe ho” (The one whose grandfather sacrificed his life for Dharma, you are making a grave mistake by asking his grandsons to convert.)
This incident, etched in golden letters in history, echoes the bravery of this community and now nationally celebrated as the Veer Bal Divas. But the situation today is completely opposite. In fact, it’s a contrast.
While the Sahibzaade chose death rather than abandoning their dharma, thousands of Sikhs today are being lured into religious conversion, and that too not by the sword, but through monetary greed.
This can be gauged from the fact that, large-scale religious conversions of Sikhs to Christianity have been reported in several Sikh-dominated villages of Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit district, located near the India-Nepal border.
According to the All India Sikh Punjabi Welfare Council, over 3,000 Sikhs have reportedly converted to Christianity in recent years in villages under the jurisdiction of the Hazara Police Station, including Bailaha, Tatarganj-Singhara, Bamanpura, and Bazarghat. In such a situation, taking inspiration from the ultimate sacrifice of four Sahibzaade, people like Manjit Kaur and Ganga Singh are fighting out a brave battle of saving Sikhi from the new onslaught of conversion by the Soul Harvesters.
The issue came to light when Manjit Kaur, a resident of Bailaha village, lodged a formal complaint at the Hazara Police Station on May 13. In her statement, she alleged that her husband had already been persuaded to convert, and now she and her children were under pressure to follow suit. Notably, Protestant pastors from Baptist sect primarily lead these conversion activities from Nepal and some local individuals designated as pastors.
In her FIR, Kaur named several individuals in her complaint—Satnam Singh, Balwant Singh, Arjun, Malkeet, Surjeet Singh, Sumitra Kaur, Malkeet (son of Jagtar), Balwant Singh (son of Sohan Singh)—along with 12 to 15 unidentified persons, accusing them of coercing her family to follow church.
Ganga Singh’s frightening truth
As fate would have it, the first person the Organiser team encountered on the way to Bailaha village was none other than Manjit Kaur’s husband, Ganga Singh, who was accompanied by their daughter. Sharing his experience, Ganga Singh revealed, “I had been attending church sermons for the past two years. They promised me Rs 1 lakh and a house under a Government scheme if I converted. Tempted by the offer, I started following Church, hoping it would improve our circumstances. But in the end, I received nothing.”
He further alleged that the Missionaries began imposing restrictions on his religious practices. “They stopped us from visiting the Gurdwara or Mandir, and even from accepting prasad. Now, they’ve gone so far as to plough up our entire fields and destroy our sugarcane crop. My family is under constant pressure and threats to convert,” he said.
Ganga Singh’s daughter, Priyanka Kaur, shared a disturbing account of the pressure her family is facing. “The Missionaries first targeted my father, and now they’re trying to force the rest of us. We don’t want to convert,” she said. Recalling a specific incident, she added, “One day, a group of 10 to 12 people came to our home. Among them were Satnam Singh, Charan Singh, and Sonu Singh, former Sikhs who have now converted to Christianity. They even went so far as to tear my clothes.”
“They Gave Me Cow’s Blood”
Later in the journey, the Organiser team met an elderly couple near Dhanara Ghat – Sant Kaur and her husband, Ranjeet Singh. Sant Kaur had previously converted but later returned to Sikhism through ghar wapsi. Recounting her experience, she said, “I was unwell, and they promised me Rs 50,000 along with medical treatment. Influential individuals like Chhindo Kaur, Meena Kaur, and Sareja Kaur were involved—some even came from Nepal. During the baptism, I was made to drink cow’s blood. Eventually, I returned to our faith. I now regularly go to the Gurdwara and have taken Amrit.”
Recounting her ordeal, she continued, “They told me to throw away prasad and stop visiting the Gurdwara. There are three churches in the area—one under construction in Nanaknagri Bazar Ghat, one already built in Bazar Ghat, and another at Char Number Tila. There’s also one in Tatarganj.”
Explaining the rationale for returning to Sikhism, Sant Kaur said with conviction, “Our Gurus gave their lives for us. Why would I reject the prasad sanctified by their sacrifice? They tempted us with promises of wealth. They bring in large crowds, sometimes even a tractor full, for baptism ceremonies, especially around the New Year, with thousands attending. Since the authorities have tightened oversight, they’ve shifted their prayer meetings to night time. They use Punjabi Bibles and conduct services in Punjabi.”
Tatarganj: The Epicentre of Racket
The village of Tatarganj lies at the heart of a growing and deeply concerning conversion racket. When the Organiser team reached the Singh Sabha Gurdwara in Tatarganj, the Gurdwara’s Pradhan, Mahinder Singh, said, “initially, we tried to suppress the matter,” he admitted. “But on May 25, we were reprimanded by the Sikh Prabandhak Committee to Gurdwara Shri Nanakmatta Sahib in Uttarakhand. They told us not to hide the issue, but also advised not to exaggerate it.”
He estimated that nearly 300 families in the region have been converted. “These families have stopped participating in traditional Sikh rituals—marriages, ceremonies, even daily practices. Instead, they now follow Church customs. We say that the faith in which we were born is a gift from Waheguru. During December, when we observe the martyrdom of the Chaar Sahibzaade, it’s a time of mourning for us. But these converts were celebrating Christmas with firecrackers, DJs, and bands while we are in grief. It is deeply hurtful.” He also said that Bajrang Dal was the first to raise this issue.
In the same village, Sarpanch Satnam Singh has been arrested in connection with the case. Organiser met his wife, who, when confronted by the Sikh Prabandhak Committee, invited the team to her home. There, inside the house, was a large church-like hall divided by a tarpaulin, used for prayer gatherings. She insisted the space was meant for residential use and claimed her husband had been falsely implicated due to a land dispute.
Another woman in the village confirmed the widespread influence of Church-controlled media. “We’ve been listening to The Voice radio show since 2011,” she said, adding that they also watch YouTube sermons by Ankur Narula, Baljinder Pastor, and Gurcharan Pastor. When asked about Christmas, she replied vaguely, “It’s a day of celebration. We eat, sing, and celebrate like the rest of the country.” She was unable to explain the religious significance behind the holiday.
Interestingly, she and other women were unaware of Shaheedi Week, a solemn period commemorating the martyrdom of Chaar Sahibzaade. It’s worth noting that the Sarpanch’s father had been the Granthi of the local Gurdwara for over four decades.
On their way to Tatarganj, the Organiser team stopped at a Gurdwara on the border of Pilibhit and Lakhimpur Kheri, where they met Nishan Singh, the Gurdwara Pradhan. Singh warned that Church-led conversions are spreading rapidly in the area. “To counter this, we are organising awareness campaigns focused on Sikh history and heroism,” he said. “We’ve invited granthis from Amritsar, Patna, and Anandpur Sahib, and have been conducting satsangs that have drawn large crowds.”
Escaping the trap
Baljit Singh, a native of Bailaha village, attended prayer meetings for nearly five months but fled before the baptism process. He told Organiser, “One of my friends invited me to join the prayer meetings. I enjoyed it initially because they would sing, dance, and it felt entertaining. But then they said I would be baptised, and I saw them give cow blood to people in order to hurt their religious sentiments and corrupt them. That’s when I decided to run away.”
He further added, “Over a thousand people from this village have converted. The reasons vary: some believe they are cured by attending prayers, others find peace in the Bible, while some, like me, went for fun. In the meetings, they told us to stop going to the Gurdwara, start reading the Bible, follow the Church, stop taking prasad, and promised everything around us will improve. This village is in an underdeveloped region of the district, with no hospital, school, or other facilities. People think it’s easier to attend prayer meetings than travel kilometres to see a doctor.” He continued, “They touch everyone’s head, after which people start behaving strangely. When I first saw this, I began reciting Gurbani and decided not to return to Church.”
Dharmendra Singh, who reached the pond for baptism, shared, “I attended prayer meetings for six months. After six months, they said I had to be baptised. I was taken to a pond where many people were asked to take a dip while a Pastor placed his hand on their heads. Later, they blindfolded them and asked them to drink a red liquid. People said it was cow blood. Hearing that, I ran away and returned to my faith.”
Tale of Truth and Evasion
As the sun dipped behind the fields of Tatarganj, the Organiser team encountered two contrasting figures – both journalists, yet each representing a different face of the unfolding crisis.
Rajpreet Singh, calm yet resolute, greeted us with folded hands and a file thick with documents. A journalist by profession but a community warrior by choice, he has spent the last year quietly documenting stories of coercion and faith lost. Alongside his sister, Sumitra Kaur, Rajpreet is on a mission, helping victims of forced conversion file complaints, connecting them with Sikh leadership, and bridging the growing chasm between the confused faithful and the fading sanctity of their traditions.
“It’s been nearly a year,” Rajpreet said gravely. “But the local administration is under pressure. FIRs are rarely filed. If this negligence continues, it will snowball into a major threat for the Sikh community.”
He painted a sobering picture: Pastors who were once ordinary villagers trained by Nepalese Missionaries as far back as 2002 now lead congregations across the region. Between 2020 and 2025, he claims, the pace of conversion has accelerated dangerously. “In villages from Bailaha to Tatarganj, around 20,000 to 22,000 people have converted, Hindus and Sikhs alike. This isn’t just a local crisis. It’s spreading towards Lakhimpur Kheri now.”
Rajpreet didn’t mince words. “The husband of Tatarganj’s village head, Arjun Singh, became a pastor and now is on the run. He lured people by promising them Government benefits—but only if they embraced Christianity. The poor are especially targeted, with offers of healing miracles, foreign education for children, and financial aid.”
Enter Guruseth Pal Singh, another journalist, but one who seemed more eager to smooth over the rough edges of a growing storm. “There are no conversions here,” he insisted with a measured voice and a faint smile. “People are converting on their terms. The real issue is land disputes, not religion. Some people are unnecessarily stirring up this issue,” he added. Two journalists. Two narratives. One guided by conviction and concern, the other veiled in ambiguity.
VHP facilitates ghar wapsi
The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has been continuously making efforts to bring people back to their roots. As part of these efforts, around 500 individuals who had previously converted returned to the Sikh fold during a programme organised by the VHP in the villages of Pilibhit, near the India-Nepal border. These individuals had earlier abandoned their faith. The event took place in Bailaha and Tatarganj villages on May 23.
Notably, the VHP conducted an awareness campaign to encourage people to return to Sikhism by setting up a camp in these villages for two days. Residents in hamlets near the Nepal border were approached, and the significance of Sikhism was explained to them. Following this, many families willingly chose to return to their roots. The Gurdwara Management Committee successfully reintegrated 160 families into Sikhism through religious initiatives such as Amritpan.
Time to Reignite the Spirit
“Inh putran ke sees par vaar diye sut chaar, Chaar muye to kya hua, jeevat kayi hazaar” (I have sacrificed my four sons. So what if my four sons have died, when thousands are alive), said Guru Gobind Singh Ji to Mata Sundari after the martyrdom of his four Sahibzaade. The heart weeps every time this supreme sacrifice is remembered. It wasn’t just the loss of four sons; it was the soul of a Guru offering his lineage to protect Dharma, so that countless others could live in the light of righteousness and freedom. It’s time for chinta and vichar based on the mool-mantar enshrined in Guru Granth Sahib.
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