Hindu woman sexually abused under false promises of marriage; forced to convert to Islam by Muslim lawyer
Sehore, Madhya Pradesh, India 
21 February, 2025
Case Summary
A Hindu woman approached the Sahore police in Maharashtra to file a complaint against a Muslim lawyer accusing him of deceiving her and forcing her to convert to Islam. The woman said that she was in a relationship with a Muslim lawyer, GM Khan, who had assured her that he would divorce his wife and marry her. Under this false promise, they engaged in a physical relationship. However, Khan repeatedly delayed the marriage and eventually pressured her to convert to Islam as a precondition for marriage. When she refused, he threatened to leak her intimate photographs and even kill her. According to media reports, GM Khan practised law at the Sehore Court in Madhya Pradesh. Fifteen years ago, he had represented the victim in her divorce case, and they remained in contact afterwards. Over time, he convinced her of his intention to marry her once he divorced his wife. Their physical relationship began on 20th May 2011, when Khan first visited her rented house in Sehore, promising marriage. He continued to visit her regularly, maintaining relations under the same pretext. However, despite her repeated requests, he refused to formalise the marriage. Frustrated and disillusioned, the woman eventually stopped allowing him into her home. In September 2024, Khan once again visited her and engaged in relations under the false promise of marriage. When the woman insisted on marriage, he agreed but demanded that she first convert to Islam. On 22nd February 2025, Khan visited her again and issued threats, warning that if she did not convert, he would release her private photos and videos. He also threatened to kill her if she reported the matter. Fearing for her safety, the woman approached the police and filed a complaint. Following her report, the police registered a case against GM Khan under Sections 69 and 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3/5 of the Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Act 2021.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
Since this case exhibits multiple religious markers that clearly indicate a pattern of coercion and exploitation rooted in religious motivations, it has been added to the tracker under two prime categories. The first is- Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes. Under this, the first sub-category selected is- Forced conversion before marriage. 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 second sub-category selected 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 third sub-category selected under the above-mentioned category 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. The second prime category selected here is- Predatory Proselytisation and within this, the sub-category selected 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 has 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, forceful circumcision etc. 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 to ensure the Hindu victim abandons his/her professed religion and adopts the religion of the perpetrator. 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. In this instance, there is no specific element of the Muslim accused hiding his identity. In such cases, the woman, in all probability, is made to believe that her faith would not stand in the way of their relationship. Here too, taking the accused’s word for it, the Hindu woman entered into a romantic relationship with the Muslim man. The Muslim man continued to take advantage of her physically under the guise of marriage, but when the girl pressed him to honour his word, his true intentions became clear. He forced the woman to give up her professed faith and convert to Islam. When she refused to accede to his demands, he blackmailed her to leak her intimate pictures online and also threatened to kill her. This act goes beyond mere criminal behaviour; it is a calculated and malicious attack on her religious identity. 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
Sources 
