Salman becomes Rakesh and marries a Hindu girl, forces her into Halala with a Maulvi after his identity is revealed, threatens to sell their children is she refuses to convert to Islam
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India 
28 September, 2024
Case Summary
In Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, a Hindu woman filed a complaint against Salman for deceiving and marrying her under false pretences. The victim, from Indira Nagar, stated that Salman initially claimed to be a Hindu named Rakesh to gain her trust. They developed a relationship, and Salman eventually proposed marriage. However, after their marriage, she discovered his real name and religion. The woman revealed that Salman made her undergo three abortions, promising marriage each time. After their marriage, Salman divorced her and subjected her to Halala, orchestrated by a Maulana. Salman also forced her into a relationship with his friend Asim Khan. The woman said both Salman and Asim tortured and raped her. Salman, who had been involved with the victim since she was a minor, took their three children away and threatened to sell them in Nepal if she refused to convert to Islam. He also barred her from meeting her children and drove her out of their home. The victim filed a police complaint, demanding action against Salman and Asim. The police registered cases against them.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This csae has been added to the tracker under the prime category- Hate crimes against women in relationships and sexual crimes. Further, there are two sub-categories selceted within the above-mentioned prime category. The first is- Man pretends to be Hindu, undre which two tertiary vategories, namely, 'Name changed' and 'Raped after Hindu women finds out real identity' have been also selected. 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. The second sub-category selected here is- Assault or torture 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. This case can be considered a religiously motivated hate crime due to the intentional use of deception and coercion centered around the victim's religious identity and forced conversion. The accused Salman posed as a Hindu to build a relationship with the Hindu woman. By concealing his true identity, he exploited her trust, targeting her under false pretenses. This indicates a premeditated intent to manipulate her based on her religious background. After revealing his true identity, Salman pressured the woman to convert to Islam. He subjected her to religious practices, such as Halala, which is part of specific Islamic marital customs, underscoring a form of religious imposition. The woman's account describes abuse that was not just physical but also involved manipulation related to religious conversion. Salman used threats regarding their children, using religious coercion to force her into compliance and attempt to control her religious choices. Further, Salman's threats to sell the children and prevent her from meeting them if she did not convert reflect a level of hostility and coercion that involves religious animosity. This targeted attack is a direct expression of hate and intolerance towards the victim's religion, hence this case has been classified as a religious hate crime.
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 1
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
