Shahrukh poses as Rohit to befriend Hindu woman, threatens her to convert and marry him, harasses her with his friend Junaid
Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, India 
20 June, 2024
Case Summary
In Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district, a case emerged involving a Muslim youth, Shahrukh, who hid his identity to befriend a Hindu girl, posing as Rohit. As their relationship developed, he pressured her to convert to Islam for marriage and issued death threats upon refusal. Upon discovering his true identity, the girl distanced herself, but Shahrukh threatened her with edited photos, demanding continued contact and conversion. On June 20, while buying medicine, Shahrukh and his friend Junaid harassed her, prompting her to scream for help. Locals and Hindu activists intervened, and the girl filed a complaint. Both Shahrukh and Junaid were arrested and charged under the Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Act 2021 and molestation laws. Sadalpur police station in-charge Savita Chaudhary said that the woman sells vegetables on a cart and Shahrukh used to visit her under the guise of purchasing vegetables and made friends with her by claiming to be a Hindu. Afterwards, he gradually began to talk to her about Islam. He used to praise the religion and refer to it as “very good” and even encouraged others to convert. Hindu organisations called for strict action to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
Distinct elements in this particular case demonstrate that the crime was committed while harbouring a bias against the Hindu faith. As per case details, the prime category under which this case has been placed in the hate tracker is 'hate crime against woman in relationship', under which two sub-categories have been chosen. The first sub-category relevant here is, 'Man pretends to be Hindu'. 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 under which this case has been placed is, 'Assault or threat upon refusal to convert'. When Hindu women are in a relationship with non-Hindu men, there are cases where the woman faces threats or assault after she refuses to convert and change her religious identity owing to pressure/force by the non-Hindu man. Such relationships may be consensual with the religious identity of the non-Hindu man known to the victim. Somewhere along the relationship, the non-Hindu man starts pressurizing the Hindu woman to convert to Islam and upon her refusal, assaults or threatens the victim. Such cases are driven by specific religious motivations and against the religious identity of the victim and are therefore qualified as hate crimes. Cases where the Hindu woman converts to Islam and does not file a complaint about the force or threat, are not considered a part of the hate tracker, even though, it may be argued that the woman was brainwashed or threatened to convert to Islam.
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 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 1
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
