Case Summary

In the Shahbazpur village of Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, a Hindu man named Ambrish Goswami was lured, brainwashed and forcibly converted to Islam by a Muslim man named Sameer. He was deceptively fed beef, made to recite Kalma and offer namaz. According to reports, the victim, a resident of Ward No. 7 in Visharatganj, had rented a shop in Shahbazpur village, owned by a Muslim man named Rashid Ahmed. Gradually, Rashid's nephew, Sameer, began visiting Ambrish's shop and developed a good relationship with him. Sameer repeatedly denigrated Hinduism, calling it idol and stone worship, while praising Islam. Sameer, along with his family members, also used to bring food for the victim every Thursday, which was later discovered to be beef. They brainwashed him to a point where he stopped visiting temples and stopped praying. After about four to five months, Sameer took him to a mosque, where in front of a Maulana, the victim was made to recite the Kalma and was given a new name, Raza, essentially a Muslim name. Under the influence of the accused, the victim began attending Friday prayers and offering namaz regularly. He was essentially converted to Islam. Subsequently, Sameer introduced the victim to one of his relatives, Sahil, a resident of village Udla Nakatiya, who he claimed had a big online business in Mumbai. They told him to embrace Islam. They both said, "We'll get you married to a beautiful girl. You'll make a lot of money in Mumbai. Online business is more profitable than practicing medicine." The duo then took him to Mumbai, where Asif Khan and Anas Qureshi opened fourteen bank accounts in Ambrish's name and retained control over them. These accounts were subsequently used to perpetrate cyber fraud. Later, Ambrish was arrested by the West Bengal police in connection with a cybercrime case that used one of these accounts. He spent approximately three months in jail before being released on bail in October. Upon returning to Bareilly, the victim submitted a written complaint to the Senior Superintendent of police, leading to the arrest of Sameer and his accomplice Imran. Station in-charge Satish Kumar of the Visharatganj police station, said that based on the complaint, a case has been registered against Sameer and Asif, Anas Qureshi and Imran. Further action will be taken based on the investigation. The victim emphasised that the gang brainwashes innocent people and converts them to Islam, while exploiting them for illegal activities, including cyber fraud. He has since returned to Hinduism and demanded strict legal action against Sameer, Sahil, Asif Khan, Anas Qureshi, Imran, and other members of the gang to prevent similar exploitation of others.

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Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of - Predatory Proselytisation. Within it, the sub-category selected is - Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination, with the tertiary category being - Victim says was brainwashed/groomed. 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 selected here is - Attempting to convert/converting by denigrating Hinduism. In several cases, Hindus are converted or an attempt is made to convert Hindus by denigrating their faith, Hinduism. In such cases, the Hindus associate with the non-Hindu perpetrators often by choice and then, the attempt to convert them by insulting their faith, showing the faith down etc begins. An example of this would be a non-Hindu gathering where the Hindus are attending the gathering of their own free will. However, once they attend the gathering, there is an explicit attempt to convert them by abusing their faith and hailing the faith of the perpetrator. The denigration of the Hindu faith is often based on misrepresentation of the Hindu faith, its doctrine and scriptures and insult to espoused traditions if not blatant lies about Hindu beliefs and ways. Such conversions or attempts at conversions are driven by animosity towards the Hindu faith and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. The other sub-category relevant here is - Conversion/ attempts to convert by inducement. Predatory Proselytisation is not just limited to threat, harassment, force and violence, but it also has contours of stealth. In several cases, the Hindu victim is exploited to convert, with non-Hindus taking advantage of their poverty. In such cases, the Hindu victim who is suffering financially is offered monetary benefits, including lucrative offers for jobs, health treatment, education, etc, to induce the victim into changing his/her religion. In such cases, the religious identity of the victim and the aim to disenfranchise him from his faith form the heart of the crime. Also, taking advantage of and exploiting an individual’s economic vulnerabilities is widely acknowledged as exploitation, forms of which are often penalised by law. Such cases therefore are considered religiously motivated hate crimes since the victim’s religious identity forms the very heart of the crime itself. The other subcategory 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. The second primary category selected here is - Hate speech against Hindus. Within it, the sub-category selected is - Anti-Hindu slurs, mocking faith. Anti-Hindu slurs and the deliberate mocking of the Hindu faith owing to religious animosity involve the usage of derogatory terms, stereotypes, or offensive references to religious practices, symbols, or figures. One of the common anti-Hindu slurs used against Hindus is “cow-worshipper” and “cow piss drinker”. The intention of using this term is to demean and mock Hindus as a group and their religious beliefs since Hindus consider the cow holy. Additionally, some symbols and the slurs attached to them have a historical context that exacerbates the insult, hate, stereotyping, dehumanisation and oppression against Hindus. Cow worship has been used for centuries to denigrate Hindus, insult their faith and oppress Hindus specifically as a religious group. There has been overwhelming documentation about how cow slaughter has been used to persecute Hindus with cow meat being thrown in temples and places of worship. There has also been overwhelming documentation where cow meat (beef) has been force-fed to Hindus to either forcefully convert them to Islam or denigrate their faith. Apart from cow worship, the Swastika – which holds deep religious significance for the Hindus – has also been misinterpreted and distorted to use as a slur against Hindus. Similarly, the worship of the Shivling has been used by supremacist ideologies and religions to denigrate Hindus owing to religious animosity. Such slurs and denigration stem out of inherent animosity and hate towards Hindus and their faith, therefore, it is categorised as hate speech targeted at Hindus specifically owing to their religious identity. This case has been added to the tracker because the Hindu man, Ambrish Goswami, was lured, brainwashed and forcibly converted to Islam by a Muslim man named Sameer. Firstly, the accused, Sameer, initially lured the victim by befriending him and gradually began brainwashing him through subtle indoctrination. The eventual goal was religious conversion; the victim was befriended and groomed over time. Often in conversion cases, the methods are not overt but covert, aiming to subtly influence individuals into accepting another faith. This systematic attempt to erode the religious foundation of a person and replace it with allegiance to another religion reflects deep religious malice and animus against the Hindu identity. It was not a matter of personal choice; it was coercion rooted in hostility towards the victim’s Hindu identity. Such an attempt demonstrates clear religious animosity because the act was not about personal differences but about erasing the victim’s Hindu faith, making it a religiously motivated crime. Secondly, the accused repeatedly denigrated and spoke against Hinduism in order to subtly alienate him from his faith and push him towards conversion. This goes beyond religious debate or proselytisation; it constitutes an act of incitement and insult directed at the core beliefs of the Hindu community. Such remarks are designed to demean and undermine the faith of Hindus and intend to create an inferiority complex in the minds of the victims against their own faith. This fosters an environment of hostility and disrespect towards the Hindu community and Hindu deities. Thirdly, the accused mocked and insulted Hinduism by calling it stone worship and idol worship. In Islamic theology, idol worship, referred to as Shirk, is regarded as the gravest sin. The Qur'an strictly condemns it, and Islamic teachings emphasise the complete rejection of any practice associated with idol worship. Muslims are taught from a young age that idolatry is an unforgivable sin. While this belief is central to the Islamic faith, it has also led, historically and in contemporary times, to intolerance and hostility towards idol-worshipping religions, especially Hinduism. Therefore, when Muslims abuse or mock Hinduism in such a way, it reflects more than personal disrespect. It was a manifestation of deep-seated theological contempt against Hindu practices, stemming from the Islamic doctrinal view that idol worship is impure and offensive. Fourth, the victim was deceptively made to eat beef by the accused. This was done intentionally by the accused to defile Hindu religious beliefs and was an act of desecration intended to spiritually and psychologically harm the victim. This act is not merely a form of abuse but a symbolic expression of religious contempt. The accused sought to compel the victim to renounce his faith through acts that desecrate the core tenets of his religion. It was an attack on the cultural and spiritual identity of Hindus. Such deliberate defilement of a Hindu religious practice is not a neutral or isolated act, but it reflects conscious contempt for Hindu beliefs and demonstrates the underlying religious hostility that the Muslim accused harboured towards the Hindu victim. The cow holds a sacred place in Hinduism. This deep-seated reverence for the cow is rooted in ancient scriptures and cultural practices, where it is often associated with various deities and considered a source of wealth and prosperity. As a result, Hindus view cow slaughter and beef consumption as not only a cultural affront but also a religious violation. Fifth, the victim was made to recite Kalma and offer namaz. This was done to expose the victim to Islamic religious practises and lifestyles, thereby making his conversion permanent. Even his name was changed to Raza, essentially a Muslim name. This was a symbolic act intended to erase his past Hindu identity and reinforce his forced assimilation into the Islamic faith. Sixth, the perpetrators even offered various forms of inducements to the victim, even after conversion, so that he did not leave the Islamic fold. Perpetrators claimed that they would get him married and he would make a lot more money if he embraced Islam. Offering such incentives, particularly to a vulnerable individual, was not an act of kindness or generosity. Rather, it was a calculated attempt to exploit the victim because of his Hindu identity. By promising financial gain and marriage in exchange for continued adherence to Islam, the accused effectively coerced and manipulated him, stripping him of his agency and freedom of choice. This was not a random or isolated act, but a targeted attempt rooted in religious animosity, aimed at converting a Hindu individual’s faith to Islam. Such actions stem from inherent hostility towards the victim's professed faith since Abrahamic faiths believe that any non-adherent to the faith is subject to being dehumanised till they convert. Such acts were not merely personal crimes; they were rooted in a desire to dominate and erase the religious identity of the victim. Since such predatory actions stem from doctrinal animosity towards the Hindu faith and its adherents, this case is being documented as a religiously motivated hate crime. Disclaimer: It is important to clarify that none of the media sources covering this case have specified the exact date when the victim's ordeal began, though it is mentioned that the accused rented the shop in 2023. Thus, to document this case, we have used an indicative date—20 November 2023—as a placeholder to represent the beginning of his suffering. While media coverage of the incident emerged on 20 November 2025, the Hinduphobia Tracker records the incident based on when the victim’s ordeal began, not when it was reported.