Hindu girl coerced into religious conversion and nikah with Muslim youth by school principal and teacher
Karimganj, Assam, India 
18 February, 2025
Case Summary
In the Sribhumi district in Assam, a Hindu girl studying at the National Academy School in Nilambazar was persuaded to convert to Islam and marry a Muslim youth by her college authorities. According to reports, the school’s principal, Lutfar Rahman, along with a female teacher, influenced the Hindu girl to undergo 'Nikah' with a youth named Muhammad Abu Siddique. The incident came to light after a complaint was filed, following which the police arrested the accused youth. Authorities launched an investigation to uncover more details about the case. The incident sparked widespread outrage on social media, with people demanding strict action against those involved. At the time of reporting the incident, officials continued to gather evidence, and further developments were awaited.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the category of- Predatory Proselytisation and within this, the sub-category selected 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 proselytization, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. In this instance, a Hindu girl was manipulated by authority figures in positions of influence with the aim of religious conversion. This constitutes a clear act of hostility rooted in prejudice against her faith. The school’s principal, Lutfar Rahman, and a female teacher exploited their positions of authority to subtly manipulate the girl into performing 'Nikah' and converting to Islam. This reveals a deeper pattern of psychological grooming aimed at uprooting the Hindu victims' religious identity. Such acts, carried out in an environment where a young individual is vulnerable to undue influence by trusted authority figures, demonstrate a premeditated attempt to sever her from her roots and community. The involvement of educational staff in facilitating this conversion not only breaches trust but also reflects a form of covert aggression against the Hindu faith. The intent to manipulate and alter the girl's religious identity under social and emotional pressure marks it as a hate-driven offence, justifying its inclusion in the Hinduphobia tracker. This case highlights how predatory tactics targeting young Hindus for conversion are a manifestation of deep-seated animosity toward their religion.
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
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
