Hindu woman deceived into marriage through Hindu rituals at temple by Muslim man; abondoned after 8 years
Hyderabad, Telangana, India 
22 October, 2018
Case Summary
In Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, a Hindu woman, Sabita Devi Saket, was deceived by a Muslim man, Taj Ali Ansari, who married her in a temple according to Hindu rituals and lived with her as her husband for eight years before abandoning her. He destroyed all wedding-related evidence, including the marriage album, after the woman sought to establish their marriage. Sabita Devi Saket worked at a biscuit company in Hyderabad, where Taj Ali Ansari, a resident of Sitapur, also worked. The two married in a temple and lived together as husband and wife for eight years. Three months before the complaint, Taj Ali Ansari's mother visited Hyderabad. Following her visit, Taj Ali Ansari fled to Sitapur with ₹50,000 in cash and gold and silver jewellery belonging to the woman. When Sabita Devi Saket reached Sitapur, the dispute escalated. She faced physical assault, was locked inside a room, and saw documents and the wedding album burnt. She was also threatened with death whenever she raised objections. She managed to escape and save her life. On 7 October 2026, the village's Islamiya Committee met and issued a written decision on social boycott. The written decision recorded Taj Ali Ansari's acceptance of the marriage. Sabita Devi Saket subsequently complained to the Superintendent of Police (SP). She stated that Reena Singh, the station house officer of Lauri Police Station, refused to hear her complaint. The police said that they were investigating the woman's complaint and that legal action would be taken on the basis of the findings.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category selected in this case is: Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes. Within this, the subcategory selected is: Man pretends to be Hindu. The tertiary category selected is: Marries as per Hindu rituals. 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. This case has been added to the Hinduphobia Tracker because a Hindu woman was deceived by a Muslim man who married her under Hindu rituals at a temple, leading her to believe that he would honour the marriage and respect her religious faith, but he abandoned her. The decision to marry the Hindu woman through Hindu rituals at a temple, a sacred space for Hindus, allegedly led her to believe that Mustafa would honour the marriage and respect her religious faith. Hindu marriage is not merely a social arrangement; it carries profound religious, cultural and spiritual significance, with sacred rituals symbolising commitment, responsibility and the formation of a marital bond. Using these rituals deliberately to gain her trust while concealing his intentions represents an exploitation of her faith and religious beliefs. Using Hindu wedding customs in such circumstances makes the deception particularly serious, as it exploits the ceremony's religious and cultural significance to secure her trust. Following the marriage, the accused began torturing the woman. The abuse in this context is not just physical or emotional; it is a manifestation of religious bigotry. The torture can be seen as a punishment for the woman’s religious identity and her trust in her faith. It reflects a deeper contempt for her Hindu beliefs and a desire to assert dominance and control, often driven by religious superiority. This case qualifies as a religiously motivated hate crime because it involves the deliberate targeting of a Hindu woman’s religious identity through deception, followed by abuse and abandonment. The initial act of marrying in a temple is a calculated assault on the woman's religious faith. The subsequent torture underscores the deep-seated religious hatred, as it serves to punish and subjugate the woman for her faith, making this a clear instance of religiously motivated violence and bigotry. Disclaimer: The exact date of when the Hindu woman and the Muslim perpetrator first came into contact was not specified in the available sources. However, the sources indicate their relationship lasted eight years. The tracker records incident dates based on when the crime occurred, not when it was reported or published. In this case, we used 23rd October 2018 as the indicative incident date, derived by counting back eight years from the media report published on 23rd October 2026. This date has been recorded for documentation purposes only.
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 filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
