Hindu transgenders pressured to convert to Islam by group of Muslim individuals; subjected to physical violence upon resisting
Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh, India 
18 June, 2026
Case Summary
In the Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh, members of the Hindu transgender community were pressured to convert to Islam by a group of Muslim individuals, who also subjected them to physical violence. According to the complaint submitted to the police, members of the Hindu transgender community were repeatedly pressured to embrace Islam. When they refused to do so, they were assaulted, and their hair was forcibly cut. The incident triggered outrage within the transgender community, leading to a demonstration outside the office of the Superintendent of Police in which victims sought strict legal action against those responsible. The victim approached the police and filed a formal complaint detailing the incident. Following the complaint, the police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against eight individuals and initiated an investigation into the matter. Police officials stated that further action would be taken on the basis of the complaint and the evidence gathered during the course of the investigation. Authorities also indicated that necessary legal measures would be pursued depending on the facts established through the inquiry.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category selected in this case is- Predatory Proselytisation. The subcategory selected is- Harassment, threats, coercion for conversion. Harassment covers a wide range of behaviours of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behaviour that demeans, humiliates, and intimidates a person, including threats and coercion. Harassment and threats, in this case, find their root on discriminatory grounds which has the effect of nullifying a person’s rights or infringing upon his freedom to exercise his right specifically owing to the victim’s religious identity. Verbal and physical threats and psychological or physical harassment are often used against Hindu victims because they choose to practice their professed religion. Religious harassment also includes forced and involuntary conversions by harassment, threats or coercion. Coercion includes intimidatory tactics like force-feeding a Hindu victim beef to convert to another religion, forceful circumcision etc. In several cases documented, non-Hindu perpetrators or those who harbour specific animosity towards Hinduism, harass victims simply based on their religious identity. Such cases often also include harassment to ensure the Hindu victim abandons his/her professed religion and adopts the religion of the perpetrator. Such cases where Hindu victims are harassed to convert to the perpetrator’s religion are rooted in animosity towards the victim’s religious identity and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. This case stands as a clear instance of a religiously motivated hate crime because members of the transgender community were pressured to abandon their existing faith and convert to Islam. When they refused to accept Islam, they were subjected to physical assault and humiliation, including the forcible cutting of their hair. Such actions transformed religious conversion from a matter of personal belief into an instrument of coercion, targeting individuals specifically because of their religious identity. A particularly significant aspect of this case is that when the victims resisted the conversion pressure, they were subjected to physical assault by the accused. It was this refusal to convert that triggered the physical assault. The violence, therefore, was not random or incidental; rather, it was inflicted as a punishment for resisting conversion and as a means of forcing submission. The violence served a religious objective: to break the victims' resistance, instil fear, and make them more likely to accept conversion. When physical force is used against individuals specifically because they refuse to adopt another religion, the violence becomes inseparable from the underlying religious animosity motivating it. The assault was thus not merely an act of bodily harm but a coercive tool employed to pressure the victims into embracing Islam against their wishes. The forcible cutting of the victims' hair further intensified the degrading nature of the attack. Beyond the physical assault, such acts can carry a symbolic dimension intended to humiliate, assert dominance, and strip victims of dignity. When combined with demands for religious conversion, the violence was directed not merely at the individuals themselves but at their sense of identity, personal autonomy and religion. The use of intimidation and public humiliation to facilitate religious conversion reflects a pattern of hostility towards the victims' existing beliefs. Overall, this case meets the parameters of a religiously motivated hate crime. The pressure to convert to Islam, coupled with physical violence and degrading treatment against members of the Hindu transgender community who resisted such demands, reveals that the victims were targeted on the basis of their religious identity. Therefore, this case has been added to the Hate Crime Database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents based on when an event occurred or when the victim's ordeal began. It is important to clarify that none of the media sources covering this case has specified the exact date when the victims were pressured for conversion. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date based on when the incident was reported in the media, 19 June 2026.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
