Madarsa cleric lures minor Dalit girl to Bangladesh border where he converts her to Islam, rapes and impregnates her
Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, India 
7 August, 2024
Case Summary
On August 13, 2024, Kushinagar police in Uttar Pradesh arrested Maulana Muhammad Owais, a Muslim cleric, for rape and illegal conversion of a minor Dalit girl. The arrest followed a complaint by the victim's mother on August 8, 2024. She reported Maulana Owais of kidnapping, raping, and forcibly converting her daughter. Maulana Owais, originally from West Bengal, had been teaching in a madrasa in Kushinagar for the past two years. He reportedly took the teenager to his village near the Bangladesh border, where he converted her to Islam and raped her under the false promise of marriage, resulting in her pregnancy. He changed her name to Rani Khatun. The police received information that Maulvi was attempting to flee with the victim on the night of August 11-12, 2024. A police team arrested him before he could escape. The teenager was safely returned to her parents. Maulana Owais faced charges under the IPC for kidnapping, rape, and illegal conversion, along with provisions from the POCSO and SC/ST Acts.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been included in the hate tracker under the prime category- hate crime against women in relationships and sexual crimes. Further, as per case details, the sib-category chosen under the abovementioned prime category is- Brainwashed and/or groomed. Within this, two tertiary categories, namely, rape and sexual assault/harassment and conversion of a minor, have been selected. Brainwashed and/or groomed: In our database, we have not added incidents where women have converted to another religion of their free will and no allegations of forced/involuntary conversion have been made. However, there are certain cases of conversion where the consent itself is a result of the brainwashing or grooming of a minor by the non-Hindu perpetrator trying to victimise a woman for her Hindu religious identity. The phenomenon of grooming points to non-Hindu perpetrators identifying their Hindu victims’ vulnerabilities and exploiting them over months and sometimes years, to extract the supposed ‘consent’ in order to convert their religion. In most cases of grooming, the victims are minors or the grooming started when the victim was a minor. In other cases of grooming, the non-Hindu perpetrator brainwashes and grooms a minor victim to extract their trust and then proceeds to rape them repeatedly with the intent of converting them to their faith. It is pertinent to understand here that when the victim is a minor, the ‘consent’ to convert or enter into a romantic relationship with an adult itself is redundant – addressed by POCSO. While every case of conversion of a minor and incident of establishing a physical relationship with a minor by an adult is a crime, for the purpose of this database, a case would be considered a hate crime only if there is a distinct religious angle to the grooming. For example, in the UK, if a Hindu minor is targeted by Pakistani grooming gangs, it would be considered a hate crime because the victims are specifically targeted owing to their non-Muslim religious identity with the perpetrators being Muslim. In other cases, if a Hindu minor is brainwashed into entering a physical relationship with the non-Hindu adult perpetrator and the family alleges grooming/brainwashing of the minor to convert her religion, it would form a part of this database. If the victim is a Hindu adult, the case would form a part of this database only if the victim herself says that she was brainwashed/groomed to convert her religion. However, if the victim is deceased (murdered or otherwise), the case would form a part of this database if her family/friends provided testimony that the victim was brainwashed/groomed to convert her religion. Since these crimes have a distinct religious angle where the victim is being targeted owing to her Hindu religious identity, these cases are considered hate crimes. Here, a madarsa cleric lured a minor Dalit girl to the Bangladesh border, where he forcibly converted her to Islam, raped and impregnated her. This incident is a clear case of religious hate, as it involves the exploitation of a vulnerable minor, targeting her due to her religious background. The forced conversion reflects deep-seated animosity and religious intolerance, aiming to strip the girl of her original identity and impose a different religious belief system upon her. Such actions are not just crimes against an individual but also represent a broader pattern of religious bigotry and hatred. It is further important to note here that the victim was a minor, which means the element of consent and genuine change of conscience was missing ab initio. Minors, due to their young age and lack of maturity, are particularly vulnerable to manipulation and coercion. They may not have the ability to fully understand the implications of converting to another religion and the Muslim perpetrator purposely targeted and exploited this vulnerability of the victim. Since this case exemplifies the use of coercion and manipulation to achieve religious conversion, it is a blatant act of religious hate, which is why it has been documented here in the hate tracker.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 1
- 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
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
