Hindu woman raped and blackmailed for religious conversion and nikah by Muslim man; minor daughter harassed for conversion under pretext of Urdu lessons
Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, India 
30 October, 2023
Case Summary
In Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, a Hindu woman was repeatedly raped, blackmailed and pressured to convert to Islam and undergo nikah by a Muslim man named Farooq. According to reports, the Hindu woman was living in a rented house in Chhanera in 2023, with her minor daughter, whom she was raising on her own. Farooq, son of Mohammad Bathia, worked as a building materials supplier and resided in the victim's neighbourhood and had initially cultivated a relationship with the victim under the pretext of offering assistance. Gradually, he developed a close relationship with the victim and her family, and visits between the two families also became frequent. In August 2025, Farooq asked the victim to accompany him to Khandwa on the pretext of helping her with bank-related work. He took her to the city in his car and brought her to Parshram Hotel near Indira Chowk. There, he sexually assaulted her despite her resistance and secretly recorded a video of the encounter without her knowledge. The victim was initially unaware that he had recorded the video. Subsequently, Farooq showed her the recording and began blackmailing her by threatening to circulate it publicly. He also threatened to kill her nine-year-old daughter if she did not comply with his demands. Using the video and threats against her daughter's life, he repeatedly sexually exploited the victim and pressured her to convert to Islam and undergo nikah with him. He continued threatening to make the video viral whenever she resisted his demands. Farooq also extorted approximately Rs 6–7 lakh from the victim through online transactions and cash payments, demanding money in the name of his business. Despite receiving the money, his demands continued. The accused also harassed the victim's minor daughter and subjected her to molestation and harassment while teaching her Urdu. He also pressured the minor girl to convert to Islam. When the victim eventually resisted his demands and refused to undergo nikah with him, Farooq visited her residence, assaulted her and threatened to kill both her and her daughter. The victim was consequently subjected to continued intimidation, sexual exploitation and financial extortion. On 31 October 2026, the woman approached the Khandwa Kotwali police station and submitted a written complaint detailing the sexual exploitation, blackmail, threats, financial extortion and pressure to convert to Islam. Her relatives had initially contacted the Hindu Jagran Manch because she was apprehensive about approaching the police and obtaining action in the matter. Madhav Jha, the organisation's district coordinator, subsequently helped her reach the police station, where she recorded her statement before Sub-Inspector Sunita Panwar. Following her complaint, the Kotwali police registered an FIR against Farooq under Sections 64(1), 64(2)(m), 115(2) and 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, including Sections 3 and 5, and relevant provisions of the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2021. CSP Abhinav Barange confirmed that the case had been registered on the basis of the woman's complaint and stated that a police team had been dispatched to arrest the accused.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of - Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes. Within it, the sub-category selected here is - Forced conversion before marriage, with the tertiary category being - Forced to do nikah. In such cases, a non-Hindu man is in a relationship with a Hindu woman when the pressure to convert her religion begins to manifest. In such cases, typically, two patterns emerge. First, when the relationship is consensual, and the religious identity of the perpetrator is known to the Hindu woman in the relationship, however, at some point during the relationship, the non-Hindu man starts to force the victim to convert her religion and give up her Hindu religious identity. The second is when the woman gets into a marriage with the man pretending to share her faith. Later, when the truth is revealed, the man starts pressuring the woman to convert her religion and give up her religious identity. In both the situations, the methods used to force the victim to convert her religion often revolve around force-feeding beef, forcing her to wear hijab, forcing her to read the Kalma or even pressurizing the victim to do ‘Nikah’, which is marriage under Islamic law, with a prerequisite being conversion to Islam. Cases where a Hindu woman consensually converts to Islam in a relationship will be left out of the hate crime database, even though it could be argued in several cases that the conversion was a result of religious brainwashing. The other sub-category selected here is - Blackmailed to convert. When Hindu women are in a relationship with non-Hindu men, there are cases where the woman is blackmailed to convert her religion, owing to her religious identity of being a Hindu. Such relationships may be consensual with the religious identity of the non-Hindu man known to the victim, however, there could be cases where the relationship is not consensual and the non-Hindu man starts blackmailing a Hindu woman to convert her religion. In these cases, it is often seen that the Hindu woman is blackmailed with intimate photos and/or videos, threats of harm to her or her family, threats of violence etc. Such cases are driven by specific religious motivations and against the religious identity of the victim and are therefore qualified as hate crimes. The other sub-category selected 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. The case has been added to the tracker because of targeted exploitation of a Hindu woman and her minor daughter by a Muslim man, with religious conversion forming an explicit part of the coercive demands. The significance of the religious dimension lies in the use of pressure to convert to Islam as part of a wider pattern of sexual exploitation, intimidation and coercion. The demand that the Hindu woman abandon her Hindu religious identity and embrace Islam before undergoing nikah with him demonstrates that the relationship was not being pursued on terms that respected her religious autonomy. The fact that the victim was pressured to undergo nikah illustrates how marriage was linked to the attempted religious conversion. Under traditional Islamic jurisprudence, a Muslim man’s marriage to a non-Muslim woman is subject to restrictions, and a woman who does not fall within the recognised categories of permissible non-Muslim spouses would be required to embrace Islam for the marriage to be recognised as valid under that framework. The circumstances in this case, conversion was presented as a condition she was expected to fulfil, with threats of public humiliation through the circulation of an intimate video and violence against her daughter being used to compel compliance, demonstrate that marriage and conversion were intertwined in his plans. The pressure to convert in connection with nikah showcases that marriage was being used as a means of securing religious conversion and exerting control over the victim’s personal and religious autonomy. Rather than respecting the victim’s right to determine her own faith and future, the accused pressured her to convert to Islam and forced her to undergo nikah. This connection between the conversion and nikah further reinforces the religiously coercive nature of the case. The use of sexual blackmail to pressure the victim into religious conversion further underscores the coercive nature of the incident. Farooq secretly recorded a video of the victim during the sexual assault and subsequently used the recording to blackmail her to comply with his demands. These exploitations were not random acts of crime; rather, they functioned as religiously motivated tools aimed at humiliating and dominating a Hindu girl because of her faith. The target was not the victim as an individual, but her Hindu identity. The intention was to break the victim down, emotionally, physically, and spiritually, so that she could be converted. This was not random violence; it was systematic, targeted, and rooted in religious animosity. Furthermore, the violence directed at the victim after she resisted the accused’s demands further underscored the coercive nature of the incident. When she refused to convert to Islam and undergo nikah with Farooq, he visited her residence, physically assaulted her and threatened to kill both her and her minor daughter. This escalation of violence following her refusal demonstrates how threats and physical intimidation were used to punish her resistance and pressure her into submitting to his demands. Rather than respecting her decision to retain her Hindu religious identity, the accused allegedly resorted to further violence and intimidation, reinforcing the coercive nature of the religious pressure exerted upon her. Resorting to physical force because a Hindu victim chose to retain her religion demonstrated that her Hindu identity was being treated as an obstacle that had to be overcome through violence. The attack therefore reflected hostility towards her Hindu faith and demonstrated the extreme coercive measures employed to force her religious abandonment. The involvement of the minor daughter further aggravates the religious dimension of the case. Farooq also targeted the woman's minor daughter, molesting and harassing her under the pretext of teaching her Urdu. He also pressured the minor Hindu girl to convert to Islam. This demonstrates that the religious coercion extended beyond the adult victim and involved attempts to change the religious identity of a Hindu child as well. The use of Urdu lessons in this context served as a means of exposing the child to a language closely associated with Islamic religious and cultural traditions, while simultaneously pressuring her to embrace Islam. This indicates an attempt to exploit the minor's vulnerability and gradually influence her towards Islam with the intention of changing her religious identity. The exploitation of a minor in this manner, alongside attempts to coerce her into changing her religious identity, further underscores the seriousness of the incident. It is important to note here that the daughter 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. Taken together, the pressure on the Hindu woman and her minor daughter to convert to Islam, coupled with sexual blackmail, threats and intimidation to enforce these demands, establishes a clear religious dimension to the incident. Such actions stem from inherent hostility towards the victim's professed faith since Abrahamic faiths believe that any non-adherent to the faith is subject to being dehumanised till they convert. Such acts were not merely personal crimes; they were rooted in a desire to dominate and erase the religious identity of the victim. The accused exploited both victims' vulnerability to pressure them into abandoning their Hindu religious identity, making the case relevant for inclusion under the Hinduphobia Tracker's parameters. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records the date of the incident based on when the crime occurred. The media reported this case on 1 November 2026. However, the media reports do not specify the exact date of the beginning of the victim’s ordeal. The victim came in contact with the accused in 2023, and on 31 October 2026, the victim approached the police to file a complaint. Considering these two pieces of information, we are using an indicative date of 31 October 2023 as the date of the incident. This date is used for documentation purposes only and represents the estimated beginning of her ordeal.
Victim Details
Total Victim
2
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 2
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 2
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 0
Age Group
- Minor 1
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
