Hindu man deceived, forcibly converted, circumcised, stripped of braid, and dispossessed of property by Muslim villagers
Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India 
27 August, 2025
Case Summary
A 52-year-old Hindu man named Narendra Sharma from Kinauni village in Muzaffarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh, was deceitfully converted to Islam and stripped of property worth about 1.25 crores. A man named Yameen from the same village lured Narendra under the pretext of marriage and intoxication. Exploiting his vulnerability as an unmarried man, Yameen gradually got his three bighas of land and other assets transferred into the names of his wife and relatives. His two bighas of land were sold off, and with the proceeds, Yameen purchased a house, a tractor, and a 100-yard plot in his brother’s name, while also acquiring an Ertiga car in the name of his brother-in-law Ikram. When Narendra realised that his land and assets had been taken away under the guise of conversion, he filed a written complaint with the police. The victim stated that Yameen, along with his associates Gulzar, Ikram, Hafiz Shahnawaz, Hafiz Naeem, and a barber named Murshid, not only deceived him but also forcibly converted him. A year ago, with the help of Hafiz, Yameen brought in the barber Murshid and had Narendra circumcised against his will. They also cut off his Shikha (braid), a traditional marker of his Hindu identity, to complete the forced conversion. After this, all property and vehicles belonging to Narendra were usurped by the accused. Acting on the complaint, police arrested six accused, including Yameen’s minor son, who was also involved. During interrogation, Yameen confessed that he converted Narendra Sharma to Islam with the motive of grabbing his property. Police recovered two vehicles belonging to the victim, along with the razor used in the circumcision. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sanjay Kumar Verma confirmed the details, stating that the accused deliberately targeted Narendra for conversion and property usurpation. He added that the case was not just one of fraud but also a deliberate act of forced religious conversion.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category in this case is: Predatory proselytisation. The sub-category under this is: Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. 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 proselytisation, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. The second category under this is: Attack on Hindu religious representations. The sub-category under this is: Desecration of Hindu religious symbol. Icons and symbols or a religious representation of a spiritual ideal are widely revered in Hinduism. Iconography is of vital significance in the Hindu milieu. It helps connect people’s spiritual beliefs with the real world. Iconography within the Hindu faith takes several shapes and forms. Murtis are of most significance to Hindus, to which daily rituals, prayers and offerings are done. Besides the murtis, there are several other symbols which have deep significance in the Hindu faith – the Om and Swastika for example. Since these Hindu religious symbols hold paramount importance in Hinduism, any desecration of symbols, icons, murtis, religious representations and manifestations, is driven by animosity towards the faith itself which manifests itself through these murtis, icons and symbols. Therefore, any desecration of these Hindu religious symbols and representations is considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. The case of Narendra Sharma in Muzaffarnagar is a textbook example of a religiously motivated hate crime carried out through predatory proselytisation combined with the desecration of a Hindu religious symbol. Narendra, a 52-year-old unmarried Hindu man, was deliberately targeted because of his vulnerable social and economic position. The accused, all Muslims from his village, manipulated him with promises of marriage and the use of intoxication, gradually isolating him and exercising control over his decisions. This was not a case of mutual agreement but a calculated attempt to exploit his trust and condition him into giving up his Hindu identity. What makes this crime particularly sinister is the method employed. The perpetrators did not merely aim to seize his property worth about 1.25 crores, but did so by systematically eroding his religious identity. Narendra was forcibly circumcised and his braid was cut off, both of which are powerful religious markers in Hindu tradition. The braid, or shikha, has been preserved in Hindu dharmic customs for centuries as a symbol of religious continuity. Its forced removal was not incidental but a deliberate act of humiliation, meant to sever him from his faith. Similarly, circumcision was imposed to mark his coerced transition into Islam. These actions amount to the desecration of Hindu religious symbols and strike directly at the dignity of his religious identity. The usurpation of property was intertwined with the forced conversion. The accused used religious coercion to gain control over Narendra’s land, vehicles, and assets, channelling the proceeds into their own families. By converting him to Islam under duress, they not only robbed him of material wealth but also stripped him of his religious beliefs. This dual exploitation, religious and economic, is rooted in animosity against Hindus and reflects a larger pattern where Hindu individuals are manipulated or coerced to renounce their traditions for the gain of others. The Hinduphobia evident in this case lies in the hostility to Hindu identity itself. By cutting his braid, enforcing circumcision, and making his faith a condition for dispossession, the perpetrators demonstrated that their actions were driven not merely by greed but by contempt for Hindu traditions. This combination of grooming, manipulation, forced conversion, and property usurpation firmly places the crime in the category of religiously motivated hate crime, exposing the inherent hatred in the perpetrators against Hindus. Disclaimer: It is important to clarify that none of the media sources covering this case have specified the exact date from which the ordeal of the victim started. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date based on when the incident was reported in the media.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 1
- Female 0
- 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
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
