Hindu student sexually harassed and blackmailed by Muslim professor
Vadodara, Gujarat, India 
13 January, 2025
Case Summary
A Hindu girl at Maharaja Sayajirao University in Vadodara, Gujarat, was harassed by Dr. Azhar Dheriwala, a professor in the Hindi department. The professor sent obscene messages to the girl on WhatsApp, followed her to her home, and pressured her to meet him in private. He also threatened to reduce her exam marks if she did not comply with his demands. When the girl confided in her friend, the professor began harassing the friend as well, repeatedly calling her and attempting to gather details about the victim. Despite the university suspending him after the girl’s complaint, the harassment continued, leading the victim and her friend to file a police complaint at Sayajiganj Police Station. The friend, accompanied by her mother, presented evidence to the police, accusing the professor of attempting to lure the victim into a relationship by referencing his wealth and making marriage proposals. The victim’s mother stated that limited family support forced them to seek police intervention. The Gujarat Police arrested Dr. Azhar Dheriwala following the complaint. The victim’s friend demanded his permanent expulsion from the university to ensure no other student faced similar harassment. The professor has not issued any statement in response to the allegations.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
In this case, there is a strong suspicion that the victim was profiled based on her religious identity. The Muslim professor pursued the Hindu student and continued to harass her even after the university suspended him. In many such cases, the victims are profiled based on religious identity and then pursued. Further, the dehumanisation of Hindu women in a doctrinal and scriptural sense makes it far easier for Muslim extremists to target Hindu women. However, there is also a possibility that the woman was harassed as a crime of opportunity and no religious motive existed. This case is being added to the undecided database due to the lack of more information. The case would be added to the hate crime database if more information emerges.
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 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 1
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
