Transgender Hindus in Indore face assault and coercion over refusal to convert
Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India 
23 April, 2025
Case Summary
In Madhya Pradesh’s Indore district, a long-standing rift within the transgender (kinner) community flared up over serious allegations of assault and forced religious conversion to Islam. The conflict unfolded in the Pandrinath police station area between two rival groups—one led by Hindu kinner Sonam, and the other by Payal, a kinner reportedly following Islam. Members of the Sonam faction accused the Payal group of physical violence and coercing them to convert. The tensions led several members of the Sonam group to protest outside the police station, demanding strict action against the accused. They submitted a formal complaint to ACP Hemant Chauhan, who met with them personally and assured a fair investigation. One of the protestors, Sapna Guru, insisted on filing an FIR, stating that the Payal group was forcing her and others to embrace Islam and physically attacking them for refusing. After leaving the police station, members of the community continued their protest with a sit-in outside their residences in Nandlalpura. Given the heightened tensions, police forces were deployed in the area to maintain order. According to officials, the current conflict has roots in a two-year-old case from Vijay Nagar involving serious charges, where a key accused was recently arrested. The Sonam and Payal factions have clashed multiple times in the past, resulting in several legal confrontations. Police have now launched a thorough investigation into the matter.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is categorised under the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. Under that, the relevant sub-category 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. This incident constitutes a hate crime as it involves targeted harassment and coercion rooted explicitly in religious animosity. Members of the Sonam faction from the transgender (kinner) community in Indore were subjected to physical violence and psychological pressure by members of the opposing Payal group. The harassment centred around attempts to forcibly convert them from their professed Hindu faith to Islam. Such intimidation and threats were not incidental but were deliberately aimed at compelling them to abandon their religious identity. It violates their fundamental right to practise their faith freely and without fear. The incident reflects a clear bias against the Hindu identity of the victims and qualifies as a religiously motivated hate crime, as it attempts to suppress and replace their belief system through force and fear.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
third
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