Maulvi Shan Ahmed insults Hindu deities, forces Hindu women to convert to Islam, performs obscene acts under the pretext of exorcism
Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
5 October, 2024
Case Summary
In Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, a woman lodged a complaint against Maulvi Shan Ahmed, accusing him of religious conversion, sexual assault, and death threats. The case came to light after the victim, hailing from the Narhi police station area in Ballia, approached the police. She stated that her in-laws, who believed in the Maulvi’s spiritual powers, brought him to their home, claiming she was under the influence of demonic forces. The Maulvi convinced the family that the only way to cure her was by taking her to his court. In March 2024, the victim's husband took her to the Maulvi’s residence, which she described as a "fort-like" house. Once there, the Maulvi performed obscene acts under the pretence of exorcism and forced her to convert to Islam. According to the complaint, when she resisted, Maulvi threatened her, claiming he had demonic powers and could destroy her entire family if she did not comply. He also insulted Hindu deities and demanded she adopt Islamic customs. The woman further revealed that the Maulvi had been converting around 10-12 Hindu women to Islam, keeping them in his control by making them financially and mentally dependent on him. These women were reportedly forced to serve him under the pretext of exorcism, and the Maulvi engaged in immoral acts with them. Following the woman’s complaint, Ghazipur police registered a case against Maulvi Shan Ahmed under several serious charges.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added as a religiously motivated hate crime in the tracker under the prime category of 'Predatory Proselytisation'. Under this, there are three sub-categories that have been chosen. The first is- Attempting to convert/converting by denigrating Hinduism. In several cases, Hindus are converted or an attempt is made to convert Hindus by denigrating their faith, Hinduism. In such cases, the Hindus associate with the non-Hindu perpetrators often by choice and then, the attempt to convert them by insulting their faith, showing the faith down etc begins. An example of this would be a non-Hindu gathering where the Hindus are attending the gathering of their own free will. However, once they attend the gathering, there is an explicit attempt to convert them by abusing their faith and hailing the faith of the perpetrator. The denigration of the Hindu faith is often based on misrepresentation of the Hindu faith, its doctrine and scriptures and insult to espoused traditions if not blatant lies about Hindu beliefs and ways. Such conversions or attempts at conversions are driven by animosity towards the Hindu faith and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. The second sub-category relevant here is- Harassment, threats, coercion for conversion. Harassment covers a wide range of behaviours of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behaviour that demeans, humiliates, and intimidates a person, including threats and coercion. Harassment and threats in this case find their root on discriminatory grounds which have the effect of nullifying a person’s rights or infringing upon his freedom to exercise his right specifically owing to the victim’s religious identity. Verbal and physical threats and psychological or physical harassment are often used against Hindu victims because they choose to practice their professed religion. Religious harassment also includes forced and involuntary conversions by harassment, threats or coercion. Coercion includes intimidatory tactics like force-feeding a Hindu victim beef to convert to another religion and forceful circumcision. In several cases documented, non-Hindu perpetrators or those who harbour specific animosity towards Hinduism, harass victims simply based on their religious identity. Such cases often also include harassment in an attempt to make the Hindu victim abandon his/her professed religion and adopt the religion of the perpetrator. In this sub-category, we would include cases where the non-Hindu perpetrator harassed, threatened or coerced the victim to convert, however, the Hindu victim did not convert to another faith. Cases where the victim was converted owing to the harassment and threats would be documented in another sub-category. Such cases where Hindu victims are harassed to convert to the perpetrator’s religion are rooted in animosity towards the victim’s religious identity and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. Further, as per case details, the third sub-category under which this case has been placed is 'Proselytisation by brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination'. Within this, a tertiary category named, 'Pattern of targeting Hindu women/minors' has been selected. Religious brainwashing essentially means the often subtle and forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up their religious beliefs to accept contrasting regimented ideas. Religious brainwashing also involves propaganda and manipulation. It involves the systematic effort, driven by religious malice and indoctrination, to persuade “non-believers’ to accept allegiance, command, or doctrine to and of a contrasting faith. Cases of such brainwashing are far more nuanced than direct threats, coercion, inducement and violence. In such cases, it is often seen that there is repeated, subtle and continual manipulation of the victim to induce disaffection towards their own faith and acceptance of the contrasting faith of the perpetrator. While subtle indoctrination is widely acknowledged as predatory, an element which is often understated in such conversions or the attempts of such conversion is the role of loyalty and trust which might develop between the perpetrator and the victim. Fiduciary relationships are often abused to affect such religious conversion. For example, an educator transmitting religious doctrine of a competing faith to a Hindu student. The Hindu student is likely to accept what the teacher is transmitting owing to existence of the fiduciary relationship. The exploitation of the fiduciary relationship to religiously indoctrinated victims would also be included in this category. Since the underlying animosity towards the victim’s faith forms the basis of predatory proselytization, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. This case exemplifies predatory proselytisation, where the accused, Maulvi Shan Ahmed, employed manipulation, threats, and denigration of Hinduism to attempt to convert the victim. The woman’s complaint highlights a systematic approach to coercion. Initially, her in-laws, influenced by the Maulvi’s claims of spiritual power, brought him into their home, asserting that she was possessed. This pretext laid the groundwork for her subsequent harassment, as she was taken to Maulvi's residence under the false pretence of seeking a solution to her supposed affliction. Once there, she was subjected to sexual assault and coerced into conversion. The Maulvi's threats of familial destruction if she refused further underscore the extreme pressure placed on her to comply with his demands. Moreover, Maulvi's actions included making derogatory comments about Hindu deities, which not only aimed to undermine the victim's faith but also served to establish a sense of superiority of the imposed belief system over her original one. This tactic is particularly damaging as it seeks to strip away the victim's identity and cultural ties, effectively using psychological manipulation to facilitate conversion. Further, the involvement of the Maulvi in the conversion of multiple Hindu women indicates a predatory pattern, where he singled out Hindu women and exploited their vulnerabilities to convert them to Islam. Since the underlying motivation of predatory proselytisation itself is animosity towards the professed faith of the victim, this case has been documented here.
Victim Details
Total Victim
12
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 12
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 12
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 11
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
