Hindu woman deceived by Muslim man posing as Hindu; tortured by in-laws to convert, perform Namaz, then thrown out of the house
Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand, India 
30 December, 2024
Case Summary
In Uttarakhand's Udham Singh Nagar district, Premlata Devi, a Scheduled Caste woman, filed a complaint accusing her husband, Jabir Ali, of deceit, blackmail, and prolonged abuse. According to the victim, Jabir initially introduced himself as "Suraj" and established a relationship with her. He also created an obscene video of her, which he used to blackmail her, and under duress, she was forced to participate in a nikah (marriage ceremony). The couple was married six years prior in Jabir's elder sister's house in Jahanabad, following Muslim customs. "When I refused, Jabir and his brothers—Abbas Ali, Riyasat, Zakir, and Shakir—threatened to make the video viral and kill me," Premlata stated. After their marriage, he subjected Premlata to physical and emotional abuse, including threats of death and pressure to convert to Islam. She also reported that Jabir and his family forced her to adopt Muslim practices, including reciting the kalma and offering namaz. They drained her finances, including valuables like a gold necklace, earrings, a laptop, and cash totalling Rs 1,00,000, all of which were spent by her husband and his family. After they exhausted her financial resources, Premlata said the abuse intensified, with Jabir and his family demanding dowry. Eventually, Premlata was abandoned by Jabir, who reportedly threw her and their six-year-old son, Mohammad Ezan, out of their home. Despite reciting Islamic prayers and adopting a Muslim lifestyle, her husband discarded her once her financial resources were depleted. The victim further revealed that Jabir promised to transfer a plot of land to their son within two months, a promise she stated she would pursue legally if not fulfilled. The police registered a case against Jabir Ali and his brothers, including Abbas Ali, Riyasat, Zakir, and Shakir, under various sections of the Dowry Prevention Act and the Indian Penal Code, including sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 498-A (cruelty by husband or relatives), and 506 (criminal intimidation). However, the victim expressed frustration over the police not invoking the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act or the Prevention of Atrocities Act despite the gravity of the allegations. Premlata, who now lives alone in a rented place, also raised concerns about potential threats from local figures, including the panchayat and sarpanch, whom she says have sided against her.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes. Under this, the first sub-category selected is- Man pretends to be Hindu. Within this, the tertiary category of- Name changed, has also been 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- Forced conversion before marriage and under this, the tertiary categories chosen are- 'Forced to do Nikah' and 'Forced to follow non-Hindu religious practices'. 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. The third sub-category relevant 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 fourth sub-category relevant 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. Here, a Muslim youth, under the guise of a Hindu, deceives a Hindu girl, exploiting her trust by pretending to share her faith. He not only violates her trust by establishing a physical relationship under false pretence but also records obscene videos to blackmail her into converting to Islam and performing Nikah with him. Further, the accused and his family forced the victim to adopt Muslim practices, including reciting the kalma and offering namaz. The accused also employed violence to coerce the victim to abandon her faith and accept Islam. 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 girl'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. The underlying motivation of the crime was the animosity towards the professed faith of the victim. Since the central motivation was religion, this case has been added as a hate crime.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 1
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 1
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 0
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
