"Maa, they are kicking me in the chest. I cannot breathe": Hindu woman staying with Muslim boyfriend found dead; murder charges pressed against latter

Case ID : 30aa985 | Location : Guwahati, Assam, India | Date of Incident : Fri, 25 September, 2026

Case ID : 30aa985

Guwahati, Assam, India

25 September, 2026

"Maa, they are kicking me in the chest. I cannot breathe": Hindu woman staying with Muslim boyfriend found dead; murder charges pressed against latter

Undecided cases

Hindu woman ends up dead in a consensual relationship

Case Summary

A Hindu girl named Nimisha Thakuria was found unconscious near Garal Primary Health Centre in the Azara area of Guwahati, Assam. She had been staying with her Muslim boyfriend, Ashiq Ali (26), at a local homestay. According to reports, the victim, Nimisha Thakuria, a student at Gauhati University, was staying with her Muslim boyfriend Ashiq Ali at Rudra’s Kitchen homestay in the Dharapur-Garchuk area. On 26 September 2026, three men who found Nimisha unconscious took her to the health centre, from where she was referred to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), where doctors declared her brought dead. Her body was sent for post-mortem examination, and police noted injuries during the inquest. Nimisha’s father stated that she left home around 5 pm on 25 September 2026, telling her family she was going out to eat, and later told them she would stay at a hostel with a friend. At around 2 am, she called her mother and said, “Maa, they are kicking me in the chest. I cannot breathe.” The call ended, and her phone went silent. Police subsequently traced the circumstances surrounding her movements and the events at the homestay. Police subsequently detained Ashiq Ali in connection with Nimisha’s death. Ali claimed that Nimisha had died by suicide after hanging herself from a ceiling fan. Police did not accept this account without verification and investigated the circumstances leading to her death, including her movements, the injuries found on her body and the events that took place at the homestay. Witnesses reported hearing cries for help around 2.30 am, after which homestay staff found Nimisha lying on the floor with Ali beside her. Police seized the homestay’s registration records, CCTV footage and Nimisha’s mobile phone and examined the premises with forensic and CID teams. The homestay was subsequently sealed over lapses in guest verification, while its owner and three employees were questioned. Police also investigated whether other people had been present at the homestay that night, including a friend of Ali. On 28 September, police arrested Ali and registered charges under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including wrongful confinement, grievous hurt, gang rape and murder. The investigation and post-mortem examination were expected to establish the circumstances and cause of Nimisha’s death.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been placed in the Undecided database because the available evidence does not establish whether Nimisha Thakuria’s death was connected to her Hindu identity or to any religiously motivated intent. The circumstances surrounding her death remain under investigation, and the registration of murder and other serious charges against Ashiq Ali indicates that police were examining the possibility of criminal wrongdoing. However, the existence of a serious criminal offence by itself does not establish that the offence was motivated by religious hostility. The interfaith nature of the relationship warrants examination in light of cases documented by the Hinduphobia Tracker in which Hindu women involved with Muslim men were subjected to coercion, exploitation, conversion pressure or violence connected to their religious identity. In this case, however, there is presently no evidence showing that Nimisha was targeted because she was Hindu or that her relationship with Ali involved any attempt to change, suppress or otherwise interfere with her religious identity. There is also no reported statement from her family or other evidence indicating that religious differences formed part of the conflict between the two. The circumstances therefore leave open more than one possible explanation for the events. The death may have resulted from criminal violence within the relationship, but the available information does not establish that such violence was directed at Nimisha on account of her faith. Similarly, Ali’s account that she died by suicide remained subject to investigation and did not itself provide evidence either for or against a religious motive. The distinction is important because establishing that a Hindu woman was the victim of a serious offence is not, by itself, sufficient to establish that the offence constituted a religiously motivated hate crime. Accordingly, the case remains in the Undecided database pending further evidence concerning the motive behind the offence. Findings from the investigation, forensic examination, witness statements or subsequent judicial proceedings may clarify whether Nimisha’s Hindu identity played any role in the events leading to her death. If credible evidence establishes a religiously motivated element, the classification can be reassessed accordingly.