Two minor Hindu sisters driven to suicide, investigation reveals they were groomed and forced to convert to Islam
Udaipur, Rajasthan, India 
10 November, 2024
Case Summary
The recent cases of religious conversion orchestrated by groups of Muslim men in Rajasthan have brought to light a disturbing pattern of deliberate targeting of minor Hindu girls. Following the Beawar incident, yet another case emerged, involving two minor Hindu sisters who fell victim to this conversion network. In the Gogunda police station area of Udaipur, Rajasthan, two cousin sisters, aged 16 and 17 and studying in the 11th grade, tragically ended their lives by consuming poison. Their disappearance on the evening of 10th November 2024 led to a heartbreaking discovery the next morning when their families found their bodies in a field just 500 metres from their home. The girls were dressed in matching colours and had black and white threads tied around their necks. A police investigation revealed that they were being blackmailed by a 19-year-old Muslim man named Shahnawaz, who was later arrested from Hapur in Uttar Pradesh. Their families had noticed signs of distress for some time, and upon examining their mobile phones and social media accounts, the police uncovered that they had been in regular contact with the accused. Further evidence of coercion and religious influence was found in their school bags, where a notebook contained the Kalma and Quranic verses scribbled inside. The investigation also revealed that the accused had initially reached out to the victims through Instagram and was allegedly extorting money from them. Additionally, a few phrases written in Urdu and Hindi suggested they were being gradually influenced. Shockingly, both girls had even changed their names to Anisa and Muskan on social media, indicating a shift in their identity. The police believe they had been brainwashed and manipulated into converting to Islam before their tragic demise.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Predatory Proselytisation. Under this, the first sub-category selected is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination and the tertiary category selected is- Conversion of Minor. 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 grooming or 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 grooming or 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 indoctrinate 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. The second sub-category relevant here is- Suicide after pressure to convert. When there is pressure, threat or coercion employed upon the Hindu victim to convert to a different religion, in several cases, owing to the humiliation or pressure/threat, the victim commits suicide. In such cases, the pressure/threat/intimidation/coercion/violence itself is driven by animosity towards the victim’s Hindu faith. The pressure/threat that is employed leads to the Hindu victim taking his own life. Since the victim’s faith is at the heart of the pressure to convert and the ensuing suicide by the victim, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. Here, the accused, Shahnawaz, exploited the victims’ naivety and gradually influenced their beliefs through targeted psychological manipulation. The discovery of Quranic verses and the Kalma scribbled in their school notebooks, their social media name changes to Anisa and Muskan, and the use of Urdu phrases strongly indicate a process of ideological reconditioning aimed at detaching them from their Hindu identity. Furthermore, the fact that the victims were minors makes this an even more heinous crime, as it indicates a lack of consent and a genuine change of conscience. It is a well-established fact that children are more susceptible to manipulation since they are still developing emotionally, cognitively, and socially. Their brains are not fully matured, making them more vulnerable to influence and less capable of critically evaluating information. Moreover, subtle manipulation tactics can be difficult to detect, especially when employed by trusted authority figures in positions of influence. This makes it challenging for parents, to identify and address instances of religious manipulation. Consequently, cases involving religious manipulation of minors not only represent an infringement on an individual's religious freedom but also demonstrate a calculated strategy of targeting those who are less able to resist or understand the long-term implications of conversion, making it a significant case of religious-motivated hate crime. For this reason, this case has been added to the tracker.
Victim Details
Total Victim
2
Deceased
2
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 2
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 2
Age Group
- Minor 2
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
