Police in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur district have arrested four individuals on allegations of attempting religious conversion through an event organised under the banner of the Bhim Army in Taranpur village of the Jangipur police station area.
Investigators alleged that villagers, particularly members of Scheduled Caste Hindu communities, were being lured and influenced to convert to Christianity through promises, religious preaching, and claims of miraculous healing.
The action was carried out on Thursday, May 8, after local police received information regarding an alleged religious conversion programme being conducted in Taranpur village in Ghazipur district.
According to police officials, the programme was being organised under banners and posters associated with the Bhim Army. During the raid, police detained four accused individuals while several others reportedly fled the spot.
Latest trick to convert scheduled caste Hindus seen in a UP village:
Event organised under Bhim Army banner and speaker was pastor who preached that deadly diseases go away after accepting Jesus
Their tricks are evolving everyday, but we are prepared too@RashtraJyoti pic.twitter.com/elr6eMMcyz
— Swati Goel Sharma (@swati_gs) May 9, 2026
Authorities said the accused were allegedly attempting to persuade villagers to abandon Hinduism and adopt Christianity.
Police identified the arrested accused as Pastor Ramesh Kumar Chanchal, a resident of Devkathia village under Jangipur police station limits, along with Dhanai, a resident of Jafarpur under Kotwali Ghazipur police station area.
The two other arrested accused were identified as Pawan Kumar and Vijendra Kumar, both residents of Devkathia village.
According to police, the accused allegedly used inducements and promises to encourage villagers to convert.
Officials further stated that five copies of the Bible were recovered from the spot during the operation.
A case has been registered against the accused, and further legal proceedings are currently underway.
According to local accounts and allegations circulating after the raid, the gathering allegedly included religious speeches claiming that serious diseases and personal problems could be cured after accepting Jesus Christ.
The event reportedly targeted economically weaker and Scheduled Caste Hindu families in the village.
The incident has triggered renewed debate around alleged conversion networks operating in rural Uttar Pradesh through social outreach programmes, prayer meetings, and identity-based mobilisation.
Police officials, however, have not yet publicly detailed the exact contents of the speeches delivered during the gathering.
Officials said several people present at the venue managed to escape during the police raid, and efforts are underway to identify and locate them.
The operation was conducted by a police team led by Jangipur Station House Officer Shivmani Tripathi along with Sub-Inspectors Lallan Rajbhar, Jamaluddin, and Shivprasad Pandey.
Police said the matter is under investigation and additional charges may be added depending on evidence collected during the probe.
Uttar Pradesh has witnessed multiple cases in recent years involving allegations of forced or inducement-based religious conversions, particularly in rural and economically vulnerable communities.
The state government has repeatedly maintained that strict action would be taken against any organised conversion activities carried out through coercion, fraud, intimidation, or inducements.
