Case Summary

A 17-year-old Hindu girl was sexually assaulted and murdered by a Muslim man named Mohammad Saif in the Kushinagar district of Uttar Pradesh. Hinduphobia Tracker obtained a copy of the FIR. On the day of the incident, the victim had gone to water her field but did not return home until late at night. Her family searched everywhere, but when no trace of her was found, they lodged a missing report at the police station. Two days later, the police discovered the victim's body in a semi-naked state in the Rampur Karkhana area of Deoria district, and Hata Kotwali police informed the family. The victim's body had injury marks on one of her eyes, and her tongue was protruding. Once the body was confirmed to be that of the victim, the family arrived at the scene. The police took the body into custody, began legal proceedings, and sent it for post-mortem examination. The victim’s family stated that Mohammad Saif had sexually assaulted and murdered their daughter, and that he had previously harassed her. A few days before, he had also slapped her. Upon hearing that the girl’s body had been found, the local Hindu residents became angry and gathered at the police station in large numbers at night. The police from several stations and the PHC were deployed in the area. The SOG remained in Hata town until late in the evening. A case was registered against Mohammad Saif, and he was arrested by the police, who then began interrogating him. The victim’s family expressed deep resentment and stated that the police had been negligent. They said that if the search had started promptly after their complaint, their daughter's life might have been saved. Subsequently, the family was informed that the police intended to bury the victim's body directly, without returning it home. This angered the family, and together with hundreds of villagers, they blocked the Hata-Deoria highway. The deceased's mother, along with other villagers, demanded that the police hand over the victim's body to the family. The deceased victim's mother also demanded that a case of 'love jihad' be registered against the accused and called for a CBI inquiry. The blockade was lifted after police intervention. Upon learning of the unrest, Kasya Area Officer Kundan Singh arrived at the scene and assured the family that the deceased victim's body would be brought to their house after the post-mortem and that all those responsible would be brought to justice. Following his assurance, the blockade was temporarily lifted, but chaos resumed when the mother sat on the road again. Many community leaders, including Municipal Council President Ramanand Singh, Ward Councillor Raju Varnwal, former city president Nandkishore Nathani, and leader of Hindu organisations Ram Vachan Singh, arrived at the scene. They assured the family that the entire community and administration stood in support of them.

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Why it is Hate Crime ?

In this case, a minor Hindu girl was sexually exploited and murdered by a Muslim man named Mohammad Saif. This could potentially be a crime motivated by religious profiling, as it has been observed that in many cases that Muslim perpetrators target minor Hindu girls due to inherent animosity towards Hindus and their faith. Hindu girls are very vulnerable to crimes like rape, sexual assault, and murder at the hands of Muslim men. However, it is also possible that the crime was one of opportunity, where the Hindu girl was simply accessible to the Muslim perpetrator, Saif. However, it could also be argued that for a Muslim perpetrator, a Muslim girl would likely be more accessible than a Hindu girl. The fact that the perpetrator specifically targeted a Hindu girl could suggest religious profiling of the victim. Nevertheless, this remains highly speculative, as the case details provide no clear indication of religious motivations. The victim's parents in this case demand that a case of 'Love Jihad' be registered against the accused, but provide no details or any specific instance that points towards a religious motivation behind the crime. For this reason, the case has been added to the 'Undecided' database. If further information emerges that hints towards a religiously motivated crime, then it would be reclassified and included under the Hate Crime database.