Hindu woman trapped through deception as Muslim man wore kalava and used intimidation after marriage
Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India 
16 September, 2024
Case Summary
A case of forced conversion and exploitation surfaced in Muzaffarnagar, involving a woman from Delhi who was trapped. The man, initially presenting himself as a Hindu named Ayush turned out to be a Muslim named Adil. He manipulated the victim by tying a sacred thread (Kalava) on his wrist and deceiving her into a relationship. Over time, he made obscene videos of her and used them for blackmail. The victim, who had left her abusive marriage in Rohtak and returned to her maternal home, met Ayush in 2021. They entered a live-in relationship, during which he gradually coerced her into converting to Islam, forcing her to read Kalma and observe fasts. She later discovered his true identity but was threatened with her videos being made public if she protested. He also forced her to have an abortion when she became pregnant. The victim sought help from Hindu leader Sanjay Arora, who assisted her in filing a complaint at the women’s police station in Muzaffarnagar. Hindu organizations expressed outrage over the incident, demanding the immediate arrest of the accused. The police initiated action on the victim's complaint.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The case has been added to the hate tracker as a religiously motivated hate crime under the prime category- Hate crimes against women in relationships and sexual crimes. Under this, three sub-categories have been chosen as per case details. The first is- man pretends to be Hindu and under this, two tertiary categories, namely, 'name changed' and 'wears symbols of Hinduism'. When a non-Hindu man pretends to be a Hindu to deceive a Hindu woman into a relationship, the act is seen as triggered by malafide intentions. In some cases, the woman eventually accepts the man’s original religious identity and converts after the man’s identity is revealed. These cases could be argued as cases of religious brainwashing and a result of the pressure a woman feels after getting into a relationship with a man. The woman, it can be argued, also changed her religious identity because of the stigma she believes she might face if she chooses to walk out of a deceptive relationship. However, for the purpose of documenting hate crimes, the cases in this subcategory are limited to those where there is explicit violence aimed at religious conversion against the wishes of the victim (force-feeding beef, blackmailing with intimate videos, rape on refusal to convert, etc), or if the woman herself complains of the man’s religious deception. In such cases, it is established that the deception of the non-Hindu man had a specific aim of religious conversion or targeting of the victim due to her Hindu religious identity, therefore, making it a religiously motivated hate crime. The second sub-category selected here is- Forced conversion after marriage and under this, the tertiary category selected is 'forced to read Kalma'. In such cases, a non-Hindu man marries a Hindu woman and the force/pressure to convert to Islam begins after marriage. In such cases, the marriage is consensual in most cases and often, there is no element of the man hiding his religious identity. The marriage could be under the Special Marriages Act where neither parties are required to convert their religion for the marriage to be considered legitimate. While the victim in such cases enters matrimony assuming that religious identity is not a barrier, the non-Hindu man starts to pressure the woman to convert to Islam after marriage. In such cases, there is application of force by the perpetrator, including, denial of the woman’s religious rights. Some of the means by which the woman is forced/pressured to convert include force-feeding beef, forced to read the Kalma, forced to wear a hijab, forced for Halala, etc. There are several instances where after marriage, the woman voluntarily converts to Islam. Such cases are often argued to be a result of religious brainwashing, however, for the purpose of documenting religiously motivated hate crimes, in the absence of the victim complaining of forced conversion, such cases do not form a part of the database. The third sub-category selected is- Blackmailed to convert- When Hindu women are in a relationship with non-Hindu men, there are cases where the woman is blackmailed to convert her religion, owing to her religious identity of being a Hindu. Such relationships may be consensual with the religious identity of the non-Hindu man known to the victim, however, there could be cases where the relationship is not consensual and the non-Hindu man starts blackmailing a Hindu woman to convert her religion. In these cases, it is often seen that the Hindu woman is blackmailed with intimate photos and/or videos, threats of harm to her or her family, threats of violence etc. Such cases are driven by specific religious motivations and against the religious identity of the victim and are therefore qualified as hate crimes. Here, many aspects mark it as a case driven by hate and bigotry. Firstly, the Muslim man masqueraded as a Hindu by wearing a kalava. This deceptive and manipulative behaviour, which involved concealing his true religious identity, is a clear case of religious hate. By exploiting religious symbols and rituals sacred to Hindus, Adil not only betrayed the woman's trust but also showed a profound disrespect for her faith. This act is a deliberate and calculated affront to her religious identity. Secondly, he violates her trust by recording obscene videos of hers and then uses them to blackmail her into converting to Islam. The use of blackmail to force conversion is a clear demonstration of religious hate, as it targets the victim's religious beliefs and seeks to erase her identity. Further, the religious angle of the crime became more apparent when the Muslim man forced the girl to read Kalma and follow other Islamic practices like observing fasts. These actions, which were enforced against her will, signify a deliberate effort to force her to abandon her Hindu identity and adopt a different religious practice under duress This case is a glaring example of how deep-seated intolerance can manifest in violent and coercive actions, with the ultimate goal of religious subjugation and domination. The deliberate nature of the deception and the subsequent attempt to force conversion highlights the extent of disdain the accused harboured for the victim's faith, making this a clear case of religiously motivated hate.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 1
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 1
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
