Ziyad becomes Jigar to trap, rape and force Hindu girl to convert to Islam and marry him, leaks her photos online; was in contact with 22 Hindu girls

Case ID : 2e1d5f2 | Location : Kutch district, Gujarat, India | Date of Incident : Mon, 21 October, 2024

Case ID : 2e1d5f2

Kutch district, Gujarat, India

21 October, 2024

Ziyad becomes Jigar to trap, rape and force Hindu girl to convert to Islam and marry him, leaks her photos online; was in contact with 22 Hindu girls

Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes

Man pretends to be Hindu

Name Changed

Pattern of targeting Hindu women

Assault or threat upon refusal to convert

Case Summary

From a village in Mandvi taluka of Kutch district in Gujarat, a Dalit girl filed a complaint against Ziyad of Pune, accusing him of cheating and forcing her to convert to Islam. In her complaint, the woman said that she had moved to Mumbai with her family three years ago. Ziyad, using a fake online identity as "Jigar" on a gaming platform, introduced himself to her when she was a minor. The victim was assaulted and raped twice. When the victim asked him to marry her, he revealed his true religious identity. He continued to harass her, pressuring her to convert and marry him. She eventually broke ties and returned to Kutch with her family for two years. Upon her engagement to a man from her community, Ziyad retaliated by sharing her obscene photos on social media. The victim reported him to Bhuj Cyber Crime. Police arrested and charged Ziyad under multiple sections, including the Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Act, the POCSO Act for crimes committed against a minor, IPC Section 376(2)(n) for repeated sexual assault, and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act due to her Dalit background. He was subsequently sent to a three-day remand by the court. More investigation revealed that accused Ziyad was in contact with 28 girls through social media, out of whom 22 were Hindu while 6 belonged to the Christian community. Ziyad first used to trap girls and then forced them to embrace Islam. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) MJ Christian shared that 28 girls were messaged “Hi” and 22 of them were Hindus. It also came to the fore that three more culprits were involved in the love jihad conspiracy apart from Ziyad.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under the prime category 'Hate crimes against Hindu women and sexual crimes' of the tracker. Under this, two sub-categories have been selected. The first is- Man pretends to be Hindu and within this, two tertiary categories namely, 'Name changed' and 'Pattern of targeting Hindu women' have also been selected, as per case details. 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 that has been chosen here 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. Here, a Muslim youth pretended to be a Hindu to trap a Hindu minor girl. He established a sexual relationship with her and clicked her private pictures. He also forced her to convert to Islam and when the girl refused, he used those pictures to humiliate her. The act of assuming a false religious identity to deceive and manipulate someone into a relationship is inherently malicious. It undermines the victim's right to make informed decisions about their relationships, especially those that involve significant cultural and religious dimensions. The subsequent coercion to convert to Islam adds another layer of religious hate, as it attempts to strip the victim of her religious freedom and force her into a belief system against her will. This type of exploitation, particularly when it involves coercion, threats, and religious deception, highlights a profound disrespect for the victim's faith and autonomy. It is a deliberate and calculated attempt to exert control over her, using religion as a tool of manipulation and domination. Such actions are rooted in religious intolerance and are clear manifestations of religiously motivated hate. It is further important to note here that when the incident occurred, 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. Further investigation into the case reveals that the accused was implicated in a love jihad conspiracy, wherein he was reportedly targeting young women with the intent to convert them to Islam. Alarmingly, out of the 28 girls he was allegedly attempting to ensnare, 22 were identified as Hindus. This pattern of behavior exemplifies a deliberate strategy to exploit vulnerabilities and manipulate individuals within the Hindu community for the purpose of religious conversion. Such actions not only demonstrate a blatant disregard for the autonomy and beliefs of these young women but also highlight a broader concern regarding the systemic targeting of Hindu girls within this context. This behaviour obviously stems from a deep-seated animosity toward Hinduism which is also why this case has been added to the tracker.