Case Summary

In the Rasra town of Ballia district, Uttar Pradesh, a minor Hindu girl was sexually molested and pressured for religious conversion by a Muslim man named Mohammad Arif Ansari. According to the complaint filed by the victim's father, Sanjeev Kumar Gupta, the victim was a student in Class 8. She used to go to school regularly, but on the way, the accused, Mohammad Arif, son of Ehsanul Haq (resident of Meru Rai Ka Pura), used to harass her. He constantly pressured her to convert to Islam and marry him. He also threatened to kill her and her entire family if she refused. Furthermore, on 22 January 2026, the victim went to the market to buy stationery/study materials. On the way, the accused attempted to abduct her. Upon failing to do so, he physically assaulted her and again threatened to kill the family. Somehow, the victim managed to save her life, returned home and informed her family about her ordeal and sustained harassment she faced. Acting on the complaint, Ballia police registered FIR No. 28/26 on 23 January 2026 under Sections 74, 115(2), and 351(3) of the Indian Penal Code, Sections 3 and 5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, and Sections 7 and 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Subsequently, a police team led by the Rasra station in-charge conducted the operation and arrested the accused, Mohammad Arif Ansari, from his residence in West Mohalla, Rasra town. Following his arrest, the required legal procedures were completed, and he was produced before the court.

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Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. Within this, the subcategory selected is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. The tertiary categories under it are: Conversion of minor and Rape and sexual assault/harassment. 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 the 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 proselytisation, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. The other sub-category selected here is - Harassment, threats, 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. 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 has been added to the tracker because a minor Hindu girl was sexually molested and pressured for religious conversion by the Muslim accused, Mohammad Arif Ansari. Firstly, it is important to note here that the victim was a minor, which means 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 perpetrators purposely targeted and exploited this vulnerability of the victim. This deliberate targeting of a minor rendered the conduct inherently coercive and abusive. Secondly, the accused also harassed the victim, molested her and threatened to kill her and her entire family if she did not submit to his demands. Often in such cases, sexual violence, molestation and threats serve a dual purpose of physical subjugation and religious humiliation. The intention was to break the victim down, emotionally, physically, and spiritually, so that she could be converted. This was not random violence; it was systematic, targeted, and rooted in religious animosity Thirdly, pressuring a Hindu individual to discard her religious faith and embrace another was a direct attack on her religious identity and dignity. It was not a matter of personal choice; it was coercion rooted in hostility towards the victim's Hindu identity. Such an attempt reflects religious animosity because the act was not simply about personal differences but about erasing the victim’s Hindu faith, making it a religiously motivated crime. Such actions stem from inherent hostility towards the victim's professed faith since Abrahamic faiths believe that any non-adherent to the faith is subject to being dehumanised till they convert. Therefore, religious conversions, even of minors, are often seen as a badge of honour, totally disregarding the methods used to achieve it. These actions were not merely personal crimes but reflected a broader attempt to subjugate the victim’s identity following sexual violence. Since such predatory actions stem from doctrinal animosity towards the Hindu faith and its adherents, this case is being documented as a religiously motivated hate crime. Disclaimer: It is important to clarify that none of the media sources covering this case have specified the exact date when the victim's ordeal began. The earliest date mentioned is 22 January 2026, when the accused attempted to abduct her. Since Hinduphobia Tracker records the incident based on when the victim’s ordeal began and not when it was reported, we have considered the date of the incident as 22 January 2026, though the media reported the incident later.