Hindu woman deceived and exploited for three years by Muslim man pretending to be Hindu, insulted with casteist abuses and abondoned when she refuses to convert to Islam

Case Summary
A young woman filed a complaint at Kolar police station, reporting deception and exploitation by a man who concealed his identity and pretended to be a Hindu to trap her. According to the victim, she befriended the man after receiving a message from him four years ago. He initially introduced himself as Rahul, but six months later, she discovered his real name was Sahil alias Sameer, and that he belonged to a different religion. When she wanted to end the relationship, he persuaded her to stay, promising to convert his religion and marry her. Over the next three years, their relationship continued, during which the man sexually exploited her multiple times. When the victim brought up marriage, he refused to convert and instead insisted that she adopt his religion. When the girl refused to change her religion, he insulted her with casteist words and refused to marry her. He changed his phone number and left home. The victim stated that when she approached his family, they treated her disrespectfully and informed her that he had been disowned. The victim lodged a formal complaint, leading to a case being registered under the Religious Freedom Act, Rape, and SC-ST Act. Since the incidents of physical relations occurred in Jahangirabad, the case was transferred to the police station there for further investigation.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is a clear example of a religiously motivated hate crime because it involves targeted deception based on religious identity, followed by violence when the victim refuses to conform to the perpetrator’s religious demands. Based on case details, it has been added to two prime categories of the tracker. The first is- Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes. Under this, the first sub-category selected is- Man pretends to be Hindu. The tertiary category chosen within this is- Name changed. When a non-Hindu man pretends to be a Hindu to deceive a Hindu woman into a relationship, the act is seen as triggered by malafide intentions. In some cases, the woman eventually accepts the man’s original religious identity and converts after the man’s identity is revealed. These cases could be argued as cases of religious brainwashing and a result of the pressure a woman feels after getting into a relationship with a man. The woman, it can be argued, also changed her religious identity because of the stigma she believes she might face if she chooses to walk out of a deceptive relationship. However, for the purpose of documenting hate crimes, the cases in this subcategory are limited to those where there is explicit violence aimed at religious conversion against the wishes of the victim (force-feeding beef, blackmailing with intimate videos, rape on refusal to convert, etc), or if the woman herself complains of the man’s religious deception. In such cases, it is established that the deception of the non-Hindu man had a specific aim of religious conversion or targeting of the victim due to her Hindu religious identity, therefore, making it a religiously motivated hate crime. The second sub-category within the above-mentioned prime category relevant here is- Leaves Hindu partner upon refusal to convert. When Hindu women are in a relationship with non-Hindu men, there are cases where the woman faces pressure/threats/violence to convert and change her religious identity by the non-Hindu man. However, when the Hindu woman refuses to convert, the non-Hindu man ends the relationship or divorces the woman, as the case might be. 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 pressuring the Hindu woman to change her religious identity and upon her refusal, ends the relationship. Cases where the Hindu woman converts to Islam and does not file a complaint about the force, or threat after she refuses to convert to Islam, are not considered a part of the hate tracker. Further, based on the details, the other broad category within which the case has been placed is- Hate speech against Hindus and under this, the sub-category- Anti-Hindu slurs, mocking faith, has been selected. 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. In this instance, the Muslim perpetrator concealed his religious identity to deceive and trap the Hindu woman. He sexually exploited her and when his true identity was revealed, he started pressuring her to convert to Islam. When the victim refused to accede to his conversation demands, he abandoned her. Firstly, the fact that the perpetrator hid his religious identity and pretended to be a Hindu demonstrates a clear bias and malicious intent toward the victim's religion. This act of deception severely compromises the woman’s ability to make informed decisions regarding her relationship and religious choices. Furthermore, once his true identity was revealed, his attempt to pressure her into converting to Islam constituted a direct assault on her religious freedom. Such coercion infringes upon her right to practice her faith and maintain her religious identity. Forced conversion, whether through threats, manipulation, or emotional pressure, is a grave violation of religious rights and can be viewed as an effort to erase her cultural and religious identity. The deception of making a Hindu woman believe he shared her faith, only to later demand she abandon her religion, indicates a deep-seated contempt for her religious beliefs. This behaviour exemplifies an attempt to subjugate her faith, reinforcing notions of religious superiority and intolerance. The intent to change her religious identity through deceit and pressure underscores the underlying religious hatred and bigotry, driven by animosity toward the victim's religion. Furthermore, the religious motive and animosity towards the Hindu woman are also indicated by the caste slurs that were hurled at her. It can be argued that a caste-specific slur is aimed at her micro identity of belonging to the Dalit section of the Hindu community and not her Hindu identity itself. However, as far as Abrahamic religions are concerned, the micro identities of caste, region, and language are secondary. It is the religious identity that drives the animosity of the perpetrator against the Hindu victim. In this case, while the accused hurled caste abuses at the victim, the animosity was driven by his animosity towards Hinduism and Hindus. While the immediate trigger of the violence might have been the victim's refusal to convert to Islam, as mentioned in reports, the use of caste slurs by the perpetrator introduces another critical dimension, solidifying this as a religiously motivated hate crime.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 1
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 1
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 0
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0

Case Status
Complaint registered

Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male