Hindu woman lured into relationship, sexually exploited under pretext of marriage and pressured to convert to Islam by Muslim man in Kanpur

Case ID : 30ab237 | Location : Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Tue, 21 November, 2017

Case ID : 30ab237

Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

21 November, 2017

Hindu woman lured into relationship, sexually exploited under pretext of marriage and pressured to convert to Islam by Muslim man in Kanpur

Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes

Forced conversion before marriage

Assault or threat upon refusal to convert

Blackmailed to convert

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for refusal to convert

Case Summary

In Kalyanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, a Hindu woman was lured into a relationship by a Muslim man under the pretext of marriage. He sexually exploited her for nine years and pressured her to convert to Islam. When she refused, the Muslim man blackmailed, assaulted and threatened her. The victim also stated that the Muslim man's cousins made obscene advances towards her. Notably, the Hinduphobia Tracker team contacted the Kalyanpur police regarding the incident, who confirmed to us that the victim was a Hindu and the perpetrator was a Muslim man. According to media reports, the victim, a resident of a locality in Kalyanpur, lived with her father. She stated that in 2017, she was working at a hospital in Bithoor, where she met the accused, who worked as a ward boy in Rawatpur. On 22 November 2017, the accused established sexual relations with her at the hospital under the pretext of marriage. Subsequently, he continued to sexually exploit her by taking her to the hospital, his residence and various hotels. The victim also stated that the accused's family members were agreeable to their marriage. The victim further stated that the accused later became a partner at a hospital in Kalyanpur, where the two lived together in a live-in relationship for approximately three years. In 2025, her father initially refused to allow her to marry someone from another religion. Distressed by his refusal, the victim consumed pesticide on 13 July 2025. Following this incident, her father eventually agreed to the marriage. During their live-in relationship, the accused's cousins also made obscene advances towards the victim. One of his cousins pressured her to accompany him to watch a film. When she raised the matter with the accused, he ignored her concerns. Subsequently, when she pressed him to marry her, he imposed conditions that she convert to Islam and transfer ownership of her house into his name. The victim further stated that when she opposed these demands, the accused assaulted her and threatened to kill her. He also threatened to circulate obscene videos of her on social media. After she approached the police with a complaint, the accused assured her that he would marry her and entered into a registered agreement concerning their live-in relationship. However, he subsequently backed out of the marriage. He later visited her residence, assaulted her and threatened her with dire consequences. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Kalyanpur, Dilip Singh, confirmed that the police had received the complaint and stated that the matter would be investigated before further action was taken.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case is being added to the tracker under the primary category: Crimes against women in relationships or other sexual crimes. The subcategory selected is: Forced conversion before marriage. 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 subcategory selected 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 other subcategory selected 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 second primary category selected is: Attack not resulting in death. The subcategory selected is: Attacked for refusal to convert. When there is pressure, threat or coercion employed upon the Hindu victim to convert to a different religion, in several cases, the victim refuses to succumb to the pressure/threats. Once the victim refuses, the perpetrator proceeds to attack/assault the victim owing to his/her refusal to convert. In such cases, the pressure/threat/intimidation/coercion/violence itself is driven by animosity towards the victim’s Hindu faith. The violence then is another hate crime driven by the victim’s refusal to abandon his professed faith, Hinduism, and convert to the religion of a non-Hindu perpetrator. Since the victim’s faith is at the heart of the pressure to convert and the ensuing violence towards the victim, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. This case was a clear example of a religiously driven hate crime, as a Hindu woman was lured into a relationship, sexually exploited for a prolonged period under the pretext of marriage and pressured to convert to Islam. The sequence of events, including coercion, physical violence and blackmail linked to her refusal to convert, demonstrated the religiously predatory nature of the case. In this case, it was important to note that although the perpetrator did not conceal his religious identity and was clear about it from the beginning of the relationship, the nature of their involvement indicated that the woman was made to believe that their different religious identities would not be a limitation to their romantic relationship. This understanding was instrumental in drawing her into the relationship, as she continued to believe that their religious differences would not stand in the way of their eventual marriage. However, the fact that the relationship ultimately culminated in demands for her conversion to Islam demonstrated its predatory nature. The perpetrator's insistence that she abandon her Hindu faith as a condition for marriage exposed the coercive religious dimension of the relationship and indicated that her religious identity was ultimately treated as an obstacle that had to be eliminated. This sequence of events made the case a clear example of a religiously driven hate crime. Following the commencement of the relationship, the victim was sexually exploited by the Muslim man for a prolonged period under the pretext of marriage. By promising to marry her, he gained access to her bodily autonomy and continued to exploit her while allowing her to believe that their relationship would culminate in marriage. However, when she eventually pressed him to fulfil this promise, he made her conversion to Islam a condition for marriage. The fact that even the commitment on the basis of which he had gained her trust and continued to sexually exploit her ultimately became conditional upon her abandoning her religion exposed the coercive nature of the relationship. It demonstrated that marriage was not being treated as a commitment independent of religious conversion but was being used as leverage to pressure her into changing her faith. The prolonged sexual exploitation, followed by demands for religious conversion, therefore formed part of the same pattern of coercion and exploitation. The treatment of a Hindu woman as someone whose bodily autonomy and consent could be exploited while her religious identity was subjected to coercive demands reflected serious religious hostility. It also demonstrated the manner in which her vulnerability within the relationship was exploited to exert control over her religious choices, making this a clear case of a religiously driven hate crime. The pressure exerted on the victim to convert to Islam further demonstrated the religiously motivated nature of the abuse. By making conversion a condition for marriage, the perpetrator displayed complete disregard for her religious autonomy and her right to retain her Hindu identity. His demands treated her Hindu faith as something that had to be abandoned before she could be accepted as his wife, effectively placing her religious identity below his own religious preferences. Religious belief is a matter of personal conviction, and forcing an individual to abandon their faith through coercion, intimidation, or manipulation amounts to a serious violation of their freedom of conscience and religious autonomy. By using the promise of marriage to pressure the victim into abandoning Hinduism, the perpetrator sought to exercise control over one of the most fundamental aspects of her personal identity. Such coercion reflected religious intolerance and hostility towards her Hindu faith, further establishing the case as a clear example of a religiously driven hate crime. The victim's refusal to convert was followed by physical violence and threats. When she opposed the perpetrator's demands, he assaulted her and threatened to kill her. Resorting to violence against a Hindu woman for refusing to abandon her faith demonstrated an attempt to override her religious autonomy through fear and intimidation. It also exposed the hostility underlying his coercive demands, as he was willing to use physical force to compel her to give up her Hindu identity. This further reinforced the religiously driven nature of the crime. The perpetrator also threatened to circulate obscene videos of the victim on social media when she resisted his demands. By using intimate material to blackmail and intimidate her, he attempted to exploit her vulnerability and force her into compliance. Employing such tactics in connection with demands for religious conversion demonstrated the predatory nature of the abuse. Using threats of humiliation and exposure to pressure a Hindu woman into abandoning her faith violated her freedom of choice and reinforced the pattern of religious coercion, making this another significant indicator of a religiously driven hate crime. The victim's ordeal was further aggravated by the perpetrator's demand that she transfer ownership of her house into his name and the inappropriate advances made by his cousins. One of his cousins pressured her to accompany him to watch a film, and when she complained to the perpetrator, he ignored her concerns. These circumstances further exposed her vulnerability within the relationship, where her personal, financial and emotional security were compromised. Her prolonged live-in relationship with the perpetrator also added to her difficulties, leaving her increasingly vulnerable to exploitation and coercive control. The combined circumstances demonstrated a sustained pattern of abuse, intimidation and exploitation, further reinforcing the coercive nature of the case. Overall, the circumstances of this case met the parameters of a religiously driven hate crime. Accordingly, it was added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incident dates based on when the victim's ordeal began rather than when the incident was reported in the media. In the present case, although the incident was reported by the media in October 2026, the victim's ordeal began in 2017. While the exact date on which she was lured into the relationship was not specified, the date of her first sexual exploitation by the Muslim perpetrator was recorded as 22 November 2017. Accordingly, 22 November 2017 was selected as the indicative incident date for documentation purposes only.