Minor Hindu boy forced to read Quran by 'Jai Mata Di' Coaching Center's teachers Rizwan, Absar and Irfan
North West Delhi, Delhi, India 
3 July, 2024
Case Summary
A case of attempted religious conversion emerged involving a coaching center in Shakurpur, North-West Delhi, where teachers forced students to read the Quran. On July 4, Manoj Kumar Saroj, a Dalit community member, filed a complaint against three teachers, Rizwan, Absar, and Irfan, of the "Jai Mata Di" (JMD) coaching center. Manoj said that his 13-year-old son had been coerced into reciting Kalma and was told that Hinduism was nonsense. When Manoj confronted Rizwan, the teacher threatened him and used abusive language, claiming to be as powerful as Dawood Ibrahim. On July 7, based on Manoj's complaint, the Subhash Place police registered an FIR. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) issued a notice to the District Magistrate, demanding an investigation report within three days. The coaching center, now called "JMD – Join Mentors of Discipline," had originally been known as "Jai Mata Di," a name Manoj remembered seeing when he enrolled his sons. The coaching center's banner displayed images of the Hindu goddess Saraswati, and it listed five teachers, including Rizwan and Irfan. Manoj admitted that he had not paid close attention to the center's banner at the time of enrollment but was drawn to the center due to its popularity in the area. He expressed concern that other children might have experienced similar coercion but may not have spoken up. Manoj and his neighbours also observed that the coaching center discouraged and punished students from taking leave for Hindu festivals, while easily allowing leave for Islamic festivals.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The first sub-category under 'Predatory Proselytisation' relevant in this case is- attempting to convert/converting by denigrating Hinduism- In several cases, Hindus are converted or an attempt is made to convert Hindus by denigrating their faith, Hinduism. In such cases, the Hindus associate with the non-Hindu perpetrators often by choice and then, the attempt to convert them by insulting their faith, showing the faith down etc begins. An example of this would be a non-Hindu gathering where the Hindus are attending the gathering of their own free will. However, once they attend the gathering, there is an explicit attempt to convert them by abusing their faith and hailing the faith of the perpetrator. The denigration of the Hindu faith is often based on misrepresentation of the Hindu faith, its doctrine and scriptures and insult to espoused traditions if not blatant lies about Hindu beliefs and ways. Such conversions or attempts at conversions are driven by animosity towards the Hindu faith and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. The second sub-category under 'Predatory Proselytisation' relevant in this case is- Proselytisation by brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination- Religious brainwashing essentially means the often subtle and forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up their religious beliefs to accept contrasting regimented ideas. Religious brainwashing also involves propaganda and manipulation. It involves the systematic effort, driven by religious malice and indoctrination, to persuade “non-believers’ to accept allegiance, command, or doctrine to and of a contrasting faith. Cases of such brainwashing are far more nuanced than direct threats, coercion, inducement and violence. In such cases, it is often seen that there is repeated, subtle and continual manipulation of the victim to induce disaffection towards their own faith and acceptance of the contrasting faith of the perpetrator. While subtle indoctrination is widely acknowledged as predatory, an element which is often understated in such conversions or the attempts of such conversion is the role of loyalty and trust which might develop between the perpetrator and the victim. Fiduciary relationships are often abused to affect such religious conversion. For example, an educator transmitting religious doctrine of a competing faith to a Hindu student. The Hindu student is likely to accept what the teacher is transmitting owing to existence of the fiduciary relationship. The exploitation of the fiduciary relationship to religiously indoctrinate victims would also be included in this category. Since the underlying animosity towards the victim’s faith forms the basis of predatory proselytization, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. The case reveals that the Hindu victim was a minor, indicating a lack of consent and genuine change of conscience. It is a well-established fact that children are more susceptible to manipulation since they are still developing emotionally, cognitively, and socially. Their brains are not fully matured, making them more vulnerable to influence and less capable of critically evaluating information. Moreover, subtle manipulation tactics can be difficult to detect, especially when employed by trusted authority figures in positions of influence. This makes it challenging for parents, to identify and address instances of religious manipulation in schools. In this case, the accused, who were teachers, subtly influenced the children by denigrating Hinduism and coercing them to read the Quran. This act of insulting Hinduism to brainwash the children reflects animosity towards the Hindu faith. Additionally, the Muslim teachers operated their institute under a Hindu name, likely with the deliberate intent to mislead parents and students about the true nature of the teachings and to covertly influence or convert the students. Thus the case details make it evident that the crime was committed with the specific intention of alienating the victims from their Hindu identity and harboring bias against the Hindu faith. As such, the case is classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under Predatory Proselytization.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 1
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 1
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 0
Age Group
- Minor 1
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
