Aqeel poses as Akhil Yadav to trap a married Hindu woman, rapes her, force-feeds beef, makes her observe Roza
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India 
11 August, 2024
Case Summary
In Lucknow, a Muslim youth named Aqeel along with his accomplices gang-raped a married Hindu woman. The victim reported that Aqeel, who had initially posed as Akhil Yadav to gain her trust, coerced her into eating cow meat and observing Roza. When she objected, she was brutally assaulted and threatened with death. Aqeel's parents and associates Khaleel, Sanu, Irfan, and Intezaar were also involved. The victim's complaint led to an FIR on August 12, 2024, at Mohanlalganj Police Station. She revealed that Aqeel lured her to a court on December 8, 2023, under the guise of offering a job, where she unknowingly signed documents. Aqeel then held her captive at his house until January 17, 2024. During this time, he and his father repeatedly raped her, with Aqeel’s mother encouraging the abuse. The victim was later moved to a rented room, where further assaults occurred. Aqeel also extorted money from others for access to the victim and threatened to harm her family. After beating her on July 2, he continued to assault her on August 9. The police filed charges under multiple sections.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the hate tracker under the prime-category- Hate Crimes against women in relationship and sexual crimes. Further, as per case details, there are three sub-categories that have been chosen under the abovementioned category. The first sub-category selected is- Man pretends to be Hindu, and under this, two tertiary categories, namely, name changed and raped after Hindu woman finds out real identity has also been selected- 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 before marriage, within which two tertiary categories, namely, Forced to follow non-Hindu religious practices and Forced to eat beef, have also been chosen. In such cases, a non-Hindu man is in a relationship with a Hindu woman when the pressure to convert her religion begins to manifest. The relationship in such cases is mostly consensual and the religious identity of the perpetrator is known to the Hindu woman in the relationship, however, at some point during the relationship, the non-Hindu man starts to force the victim to convert her religion and give up her Hindu religious identity. In such cases, the methods used to force the victim to convert her religion often revolve around force-feeding beef, forcing her to wear hijab, forcing her to read the Kalma or even pressurizing the victim to do ‘Nikah’, which is marriage under Islamic law, with a prerequisite being conversion to Islam. Cases where a Hindu woman consensually converts to Islam in a relationship will be left out of the hate crime database, even though it could be argued in several cases that the conversion was a result of religious brainwashing. The third sub-category selected under the aforementioned prime category 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. Aqeel's actions, in this case, can indeed be seen as a religiously motivated hate crime. By posing as "Akhil Yadav," Aqeel deceitfully manipulated a married Hindu woman, undermining her trust and exploiting her religious beliefs. Forcing her to consume beef—a practice strictly prohibited in Hinduism—further demonstrates a deliberate act of disrespect and contempt for her religious identity. Additionally, compelling her to observe Roza (a practice of fasting during Ramadan in Islam) against her will, not only violates her personal freedom but also forcefully imposes religious practices that are not her own. This is a subtle yet powerful form of coercion intended to pressure an individual into adopting Islamic customs and, by extension, Islamic beliefs. This case reflects a deep-seated animosity towards the woman's faith, aiming to strip away her religious identity and coerce her into adopting practices that align with another religion. Further, the victim was confined and sexually assaulted by her perpetrator. Such actions are not random but are directed specifically at individuals because of their religious affiliation. This targeted violence is a direct expression of hate and intolerance towards the victim's religion and underlines the intent to dominate and suppress her religious and cultural beliefs, marking this as a clear instance 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 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 1
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
