Hindu woman staying with Muslim boyfriend in Varanasi hotel falls from 3rd floor under suspicious circumstances, father reports attempt to murder

Case Summary
A 22-year-old woman, Priyanka, fell from the third floor of Hotel SV Grand in Varanasi’s Ramkatora area under suspicious circumstances. Priyanka, a graduate of Vasant Kanya Mahavidyalaya, affiliated with Banaras Hindu University (BHU), had come to Varanasi to attend her convocation. She had checked into the hotel with a 23-year-old man, Furkan, a resident of Dhanbad, Jharkhand, with whom she shared a nine-year friendship. According to Priyanka’s father, Ram Prasad, a retired army personnel, Furkan had bad intentions and conspired to harm his daughter. He claimed Furkan had forcibly kept Priyanka in the hotel for five days against her will. On the day of the incident, Priyanka insisted on leaving the hotel, leading to a heated argument. Furkan reportedly beat her and pushed her out of the window during the altercation. Priyanka sustained severe injuries to her head, neck, and back and was rushed to a local hospital before being referred to BHU's trauma centre. Her condition remained critical. Chetganj police arrested Furkan on charges of attempted murder based on a complaint filed by Priyanka’s family. During questioning, Furkan admitted to the fight but claimed Priyanka’s fall was accidental. CCTV footage from the hotel revealed the two spent most of their time in the room. Police also seized their mobile phones for investigation. The investigation revealed that Furkan had followed Priyanka to Varanasi and kept her at the hotel on false pretexts. The two had reconnected after Priyanka returned to Dhanbad in June 2024, despite their contact diminishing when she moved to Varanasi for her studies.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
In this case, a Hindu girl fell to her death under suspicious circumstances, with the primary suspect being a Muslim man who had checked into the hotel room with her from which she fell. The victim's father alleged that the accused, Furkan, had malicious intentions and conspired to harm his daughter. He further accused Furkan of assaulting her and pushing her out of the window during an altercation. However, the father did not clarify whether the altercation was driven by religious motivations. Given the lack of testimony from the victim and no direct evidence linking the incident to religious animosity, it is challenging to determine if the death was religiously motivated. While there are precedents of Hindu women being harmed by Muslim men in incidents tied to religious animosity, this case lacks sufficient evidence to draw a similar conclusion. Therefore, it has been categorized as "undecided." Should additional information surface, it will be added to the hate crime tracker accordingly.
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
Arrested

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