Hindu woman deceived by Muslim man pretending to be Hindu, forced to convert and marry

Case Summary
In Kanpur’s Barra Thana area, a woman reported a case of deception and pressure to convert. She reported that a man named Baua, later identified as Aqeel initially concealed his religion and befriended her while they worked at the same place. Baua presented himself with a false identity, leading to a relationship. When his true identity was revealed, Aqeel pressured the woman to convert to Islam and marry him. She also accused him of coercing her into a physical relationship and secretly recording it. Aqeel then used the video to threaten and extort money from her. The victim stated she faced continuous pressure and threats, leaving her distressed and seeking justice. Hindu organizations raised concerns about the increasing cases of conversion and approached the Police with the victim. They demanded stricter measures and swift police action to deter such occurrences and instil fear of the law among wrongdoers. Police officer Amita Singh, addressed the victim assuring that the case was under investigation. She stated that appropriate action would be taken promptly, and the culprits would be brought to justice following a thorough inquiry.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the database as a religiously motivated crime under the prime category of- Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes. Within this, the first sub-category selected is- Man pretends to be Hindu. The tertiary category selected under the mentioned sub-category is- Name changed. 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- Forced conversion before marriage and within this, the tertiary category chosen is- 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. The relationship in such cases is mostly 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. In such cases, 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. Based on the details, the case has further been placed under one more sub-category, which 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. Here, a Muslim man, under the guise of a Hindu, deceives a Hindu woman, exploiting her trust by pretending to share her faith. He not only violates her physically under the pretence of love but also records obscene videos to blackmail her into converting to Islam and performing Nikah with him. This act goes beyond mere criminal behaviour; it is a calculated and malicious attack on her religious identity. By assuming a false Hindu identity, the Muslim perpetrator betrays the woman's trust, manipulating her into a situation where he can coerce her into abandoning her faith. The use of blackmail to force conversion is a clear demonstration of religious hate, as it targets the victim's religious beliefs and seeks to erase her identity. This case is a glaring example of how deep-seated intolerance can manifest in violent and coercive actions, with the ultimate goal of religious subjugation and domination. The deliberate nature of the deception and the subsequent attempt to force conversion highlights the extent of disdain the accused harboured for the victim's faith, making this a clear case of religiously motivated hate.
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 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0

Case Status
Complaint filed

Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male