Hindu minor student forced to convert and get married by her Muslim teacher; molested for refusing to accept his proposal
Amroha, Uttar Pradesh, India 
19 November, 2024
Case Summary
A man identified as Mohammed Zahid was arrested for forcing a Hindu minor student into marriage and conversion. The accused taught mathematics at National Inter College. The accused expressed his ‘love’ for one of his Hindu minor students and tried to force her to marry him. Zahid also asked her to convert her religion and molested her for refusing to accept his proposal. The accused also offered the victim Rs 1 lakh and threatened to fail her in the college exams for not cooperating with him. The girl, notably, was a class 9 student. The matter came to light after the Hindu student complained about the teacher at her home. She said that she was molested and was forced to marry and convert her religion to Islam. Following this, the family members initially informed the college principal about the teacher but no action was initiated. Zahid, however, continued with his misbehaviour. After this, the family members of the Hindu girl contacted the police. They also organised massive protests in the college demanding strict punishment for Zahid. He, meanwhile, attempted to flee from the spot but the police apprehended the accused at the right time. A case has been registered against Zahid under several sections including POCSO. The college management has also suspended him.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Predatory Proselytisation and within this, the sub-category selected is- Harassment, threat, 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. In this subcategory, we would only include cases where the victim was harassed, threatened or coerced to convert. Cases where attempts were made to convert but the victim resisted would be documented in another sub-category. 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 case of a Muslim teacher forcing a Hindu student into marriage and conversion exemplifies a religiously motivated hate crime as it involves targeting an individual based on her religious identity. The teacher, being in a position of authority, exploited his influence over the student to intimidate and pressure her into abandoning her faith and adopting Islam. His actions—molesting her, offering monetary inducements, threatening her academic future, and coercing her into marriage—further underscore the exploitation of her vulnerable position as a student. The forced conversion, alongside the molestation and harassment, was not just a personal assault but an act rooted in religious animosity, aiming to alter the girl's faith and identity. Such acts are part of a larger pattern of religiously motivated persecution, where individuals are targeted based on their religious identity and pressured into abandoning their beliefs. The misuse of authority in this case further highlights the predatory nature of the act, making it a clear example of 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 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 1
Age Group
- Minor 1
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
