Hindu woman sexually assaulted by Muslim man who concealed his religious identity under the guise of Hindu name and symbols

Case ID : 30a9b06 | Location : Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Wed, 2 April, 2025

Case ID : 30a9b06

Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India

2 April, 2025

Hindu woman sexually assaulted by Muslim man who concealed his religious identity under the guise of Hindu name and symbols

Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes

Man pretends to be Hindu

Wears symbols of Hinduism

Name Changed

Case Summary

In Bareilly district, Uttar Pradesh, a Hindu girl belonging to the Dalit community was induced into a relationship and then sexually assaulted by a Muslim man who had pretended to be Hindu to gain her trust. Asif Qureshi, a resident of Mathiya who worked as a munshi (assistant) under a local advocate, contacted her through social media while introducing himself as "Ashish Sahu" and presenting himself as a Hindu. To conceal his identity, he wore a tilak on his forehead and tied a kalawa on his wrist. He also forged a fake Aadhaar card in the name of "Ashish Sahu" to maintain the false identity. After gaining her trust and promising marriage, he booked a room at Rajdhani Hotel in Faridpur using the forged Aadhaar card and took her there, where he sexually assaulted her. During the incident, she discovered that his real name was Asif Qureshi and that he was a Muslim. The victim informed her family about the incident immediately after returning from the hotel, following which her father lodged a complaint with the Faridpur Police Station. She stated that she had become acquainted with Asif while travelling to Government Degree College, Faridpur, where she is a first-year BA student, and that he used to follow her on her way to college. The forged Aadhaar card used to book the hotel room was seized by the police during the investigation. A forensic team visited the hotel to collect evidence, and the victim was sent for medical examination. Based on the complaint, the police registered a case against Asif Qureshi under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and other applicable laws, and arrested him. Inspector Harendra Singh confirmed that the case had been registered. Circle Officer Ashutosh Shivam stated that the accused was being interrogated and that the investigation was examining all aspects of the case before further legal action. Following the incident, members of several Hindu organisations reached the police station and demanded strict action against Asif Qureshi, describing the case as one involving concealment of religious identity to establish a relationship. The investigation remains ongoing.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

The primary category for this case is: Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes. The first subcategory for this case is: Man pretends to be Hindu. The tertiary categories for this case are: Name Changed, Wears symbols of Hinduism. 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 mala fide 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. In this incident, the Hindu identity of the victim was central to this offence because the entire deception was built around convincing her that the accused was a Hindu. By introducing himself as "Ashish," wearing a tilak and kalawa, and presenting himself as someone who followed Hinduism, the accused created a false sense of trust. These were not random acts of deception but deliberate steps taken to make the victim believe that she was entering into a relationship with a fellow Hindu. Had his real Muslim identity been disclosed from the beginning, the victim may have made a different decision. The deception therefore specifically exploited her Hindu identity. In Hinduism, the tilak is applied between the eyebrows at the Ajna Chakra (third eye) to focus the mind, enhance wisdom, and symbolise devotion, while the kalawa, a sacred red-yellow thread tied on the wrist during rituals, serves as a protective seal invoking divine grace, health, and righteousness. Together, they signify inner spiritual awareness and outer divine protection in Hinduism; they are considered the main symbols of the religious customs and culture. The use of a Hindu name and Hindu religious symbols was not incidental but the very foundation on which the relationship was established. By falsely portraying himself as a Hindu, the accused removed the victim's ability to make an informed choice about the relationship. A relationship built on concealment of religious identity and false representation cannot be treated as one based on free and informed consent. Instead, it reflects a calculated attempt to manipulate a Hindu woman by exploiting the trust attached to a shared religious identity. The deliberate use of Hindu symbols such as the tilak and kalawa is particularly significant. These symbols hold deep religious and cultural importance in Hinduism and are widely recognised as markers of Hindu identity. Using them solely to impersonate a Hindu and gain the confidence of a Hindu woman amounts to the misuse of sacred religious symbols as instruments of deception. It was the accused's false Hindu identity, not his real identity, that enabled him to establish the relationship. The sexual assault was the apparent end result of the accused's conduct, but it cannot be separated from the religious deception that made it possible. Before any assault took place, the accused deliberately concealed his Muslim identity, assumed a Hindu name, and adopted visible Hindu religious symbols to gain the confidence of a Hindu woman. This was not an incidental falsehood but a calculated means of overcoming the religious barrier that may otherwise have prevented the relationship from developing. The fact that he considered it necessary to present himself as a Hindu demonstrates that the victim's religious identity was central to his approach. By exploiting the trust associated with a shared Hindu identity, he deprived the victim of the ability to make a free and informed choice about whom she wished to associate with. The subsequent sexual assault was therefore not an isolated criminal act but the culmination of a course of conduct founded on religious deception, making the victim's Hindu identity integral to the commission of the offence. Such acts are carried out by Muslim perpetrators due to indoctrination by the Islamic theology, which advocates that all non-Muslims (referred to as kafirs) are inferior and subject to subjugation unless they convert to Islam or live under Islamic rule (dhimmitude). These ideas are not mere abstractions; they manifest in actions where non-Muslims, especially Hindus in India, are seen as targets for religious domination, coercion, or humiliation. This theological framework fosters an "us versus them" mindset, in which any assertion of Hindu identity or religious freedom is seen not only as undesirable but as a threat to Islamic supremacy. As a result, perpetrators who are shaped by such teachings feel justified, even morally obligated, to harass, suppress, or violently attack Hindus, particularly when Hindus assert their religious rights or resist conversion. Such acts, therefore, are not isolated but driven by a broader ideological hostility towards Hindus as non-believers and reflect an attempt to impose religious dominance. Since this case was also not a random isolated incident of exploiting a Hindu woman but a premeditated attack motivated by bias and hatred against the Hindu community, which is a defining feature of hate crimes, this has been added to the tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records the date on which the incident occurred rather than the date on which it was reported or published in the media. In this case, the incident took place on 3 April 2025, when the Hindu victim was taken to a hotel after being deceived through the concealment of the perpetrator's religious identity. Accordingly, 3 April 2025 has been recorded as the incident date for documentation purposes.