Hindu woman abetted to suicide by her Muslim husband

Case ID : 90a0805 | Location : Basti, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Thu, 13 February, 2025

Case ID : 90a0805

Basti, Uttar Pradesh, India

13 February, 2025

Hindu woman abetted to suicide by her Muslim husband

Undecided cases

Hindu woman ends up dead in a consensual relationship

Case Summary

Lakshmi Devi, a 26-year-old Hindu woman who was the mother of three children and was pregnant with her fourth baby, was abetted to commit suicide by her Muslim husband, Mohammad Islam. Lakshmi was a resident of Sugiya village in Rudhauli police station area in Uttar Pradesh. When Lakshmi was a minor, she was abducted by Mohammad Islam. Lakshmi's father filed a complaint against Mohammad, and he was arrested by the police. Lakshmi was reunited with her family. However, after his release from jail, Mohammad lured Lakshmi back and married her against the wishes of her family. He made her cut all ties with her family and began to mentally and physically torture her. The abuse that Lakshmi faced at the hands of Mohammad was so frequent and intense that it drove her to commit suicide. Mohammad buried her body to erase all the pieces of evidence. He did not even inform Lakshmi's family about her death. The villagers got suspicious of Mohammad's actions and informed the police. Rudhauli police station in-charge sought permission from higher authorities, which led to the exhumation of Lakshmi's body under the supervision of Tehsildar Bhanpur and Inspector Vijay Kumar Dubey. The post-mortem report confirmed that Lakshmi had died by hanging. A case of abetment to suicide was registered against Mohammad Islam.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

While the case exhibits clear signs of coercion, predatory targeting, and extreme abuse, it does not display any explicit religious markers such as caste-based abuse, forced conversion, or coercion to follow Islamic principles. These elements are often crucial in establishing a religious motive behind a crime. In the absence of such indicators, the case is currently classified as 'undecided' rather than a religiously motivated hate crime. However, if further evidence surfaces that confirms religious coercion or an intent to target Lakshmi Devi due to her Hindu identity, the classification may be revised accordingly.