Hindu minor sisters found dead, police find evidence pointing to harassment and forced conversion by Muslim youth
Udaipur, Rajasthan, India 
10 November, 2024
Case Summary
In Udaipur, Rajasthan, two teenage cousins, aged 16 and 17, were found dead on November 11 in a field near their home in Gehloton Ka Gurha village of Jaswantgarh Gram Panchayat. The sisters, both 11th grade students, had been missing since the evening of November 10. Their bodies, discovered approximately 500 meters from their residence, were found with black-and-white threads tied around their necks. Post-mortem results revealed that they had consumed poison. The family initially suspected foul play and filed a complaint, alleging murder. Investigations, however, pointed to harassment and blackmail as key factors leading to the tragic deaths. Police arrested 19-year-old Shahbaz from Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, who was accused of blackmailing and mentally tormenting the victims. Shahbaz had been in contact with the sisters for months, primarily through Instagram, and reportedly pressured them for money. He had extorted ₹12,000 from them, demanding more under various pretexts, including claims of financial distress. Evidence recovered from the sisters' school bags included a notebook containing Quranic verses and phrases written in Urdu and Hindi, suggesting potential religious influence. Police revealed that the girls had changed their social media names to Anisa and Muskan, raising concerns about possible brainwashing and forced religious conversion. The investigation also indicated that Shahbaz had visited Udaipur and maintained frequent communication with both minors, pressuring them to meet him in person and engage in prolonged conversations. The victims’ family stated that the girls had been visibly distressed for weeks but had not disclosed the reason. Investigators believe that the continuous harassment and financial demands might have pushed the sisters to take the extreme step. Gogunda Police Station in-charge Shaitan Singh confirmed that Shahbaz had been speaking to both sisters simultaneously and exerted significant mental pressure on them.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under two prime categories because the details suggest that the crime was religiously motivated. The first category relevant here is- Predatory proselytisation, under which, the first sub-category selected is- suicide after pressure to convert. When there is pressure, threat or coercion employed upon the Hindu victim to convert to a different religion, in several cases, owing to the humiliation or pressure/threat, the victim commits suicide. In such cases, the pressure/threat/intimidation/coercion/violence itself is driven by animosity towards the victim’s Hindu faith. The pressure/threat that is employed leads to the Hindu victim taking his own life. Since the victim’s faith is at the heart of the pressure to convert and the ensuing suicide by the victim, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. The second sub-category under which the case has been placed is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination and within this, a tertiary category named- Conversion of minor, has been selected. 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. The second prime-category selected here is- attack resulting in death. Here, two minor Hindu girls committed suicide after being continuously pressured by a Muslim youth to convert to Islam. The Muslim youth's demand for the Hindu girl to convert to Islam was a coercive attempt to strip them of their religious identity. Police found substantial evidence that points to the persistent brainwashing the deceased victims were being subjected to. Since the Hindu victim was a minor, the element of consent and genuine change of conscience was missing ab initio. Minors, due to their young age and lack of maturity, are particularly vulnerable to manipulation and coercion. They may not have the ability to fully understand the implications of converting to another religion and the Muslim perpetrator purposely targeted and exploited this vulnerability of the victim. This act of pressuring minor girls to convert, leading to their ending their lives, reflects the religious bigotry of the perpetrator. It shows his complete disregard for the victim's religious identity. This form of bigotry is further highlighted by the fact that the conversion was likely a tool to assert religious superiority and control over their lives. It reflects broader issues of the denial of religious freedom, marking it as a case driven by hate and bigotry, which is why this case becomes a classic one to be included in the database.
Victim Details
Total Victim
2
Deceased
2
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 2
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 2
Age Group
- Minor 2
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
