Hindu youth and family threatened to be killed for being in relationship with Muslim woman

Case ID : e2750e4 | Location : Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Fri, 15 August, 2025

Case ID : e2750e4

Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, India

15 August, 2025

Hindu youth and family threatened to be killed for being in relationship with Muslim woman

Men attacked for being associated with non-Hindu women

Attacked by non-Hindu partner or/and her family

Torture of family to force man to convert

Case Summary

A Hindu youth named Rahul Kushwaha and a Muslim woman named Nasiba Bano faced grave threats to their lives in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, after deciding to marry each other. Their relationship had continued for three years, and the couple now wished to formalise their union through a court marriage. Rahul’s family welcomed the decision, but Nasiba’s family strongly opposed it. Her relatives repeatedly threatened to kill Rahul and even extended the threats to his entire family. Fearing for their safety, the couple went to the Superintendent of Police’s office on 16 August 2025 and submitted a written appeal for protection. Rahul declared that he was willing to take full responsibility for Nasiba and that she was staying with him by her own free will. Nasiba also confirmed before the police that she wanted to marry Rahul without coercion, and she stated clearly that if any harm came to Rahul, her family should be held accountable. SP Vivek Singh acknowledged the complaint and confirmed that both Rahul and Nasiba had expressed fears that the girl’s family might attempt to kill Rahul. He added that since Nasiba was an adult and had chosen freely, the matter would be investigated, and arrangements had been made to ensure the couple’s safety.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

The primary category in this case is: Men attacked for being associated with non-Hindu women. The subcategory under this is: Attacked by non-Hindu partner or/and her family. When Hindu men are in a relationship with non-Hindu women, there are cases where the man is forced to convert his religion and upon his refusal to do so, the partner or/and her family attacks the victim. Such relationships may be consensual with the religious identity of the non-Hindu woman known to the victim. Somewhere along the relationship, the non-Hindu woman or her family starts forcing/pressurising the Hindu man to convert. In some of these cases, the association could be non-consensual as well or, the religious identity of the non-Hindu woman could be previously unknown to the Hindu victim. In such cases, the Hindu man is first forced/pressurized to change his religion by the non-Hindu woman or her family. The force/pressure could involve threats. The trigger for directing violence against the Hindu man is, in these cases, his refusal to comply and change his religion under threat and/or force. In other cases that have been documented, it is also seen that the Hindu partner is assaulted by the non-Hindu woman or her family simply for his relationship with the non-Hindu woman and by virtue of him following the Hindu faith and not the religion of the non-Hindu woman. In such cases, the relationship is consensual in most cases and the religion of both partners is known to the other. Often, in such cases, there is no direct force/pressure to convert either, however, the attack is a result of the Hindu man being in a relationship with the non-Hindu partner and not following her religion/following Hinduism specifically. Such cases are driven by specific religious motivations and against the religious identity of the victim and are therefore qualified as hate crimes. Another subcategory under this is: Torture of family to force man to convert. When Hindu men are in a relationship with non-Hindu women, there are cases where the Hindu spouse is forced to convert his religion. Several methods are used for such forced conversion. The non-Hindu woman and/or her family, and religious leaders are often documented to issue threats and even employ violence. One of the ways used by such perpetrators is threatening and/or torturing the family members of the Hindu man to pressure him to convert. The perpetrators in such cases issue threats to harm or torture the family of the man. In some cases, there is also violence directed towards the family in order to force the Hindu man to convert. The aim of such crimes is to blackmail the victim into changing his religion by inducing fear of harm to his family. Such cases are driven by specific religious motivations and against the religious identity of the victim and are therefore qualified as hate crimes. This case illustrates a distinct pattern of religiously motivated aggression falling under the primary categorisation of violence against men for associations with non-Hindu women, specifically manifesting through the subcategory of attacks perpetrated by the non-Hindu partner’s family. The sustained threats issued against Rahul Kushwaha by Nasiba Bano’s relatives derive exclusively from his Hindu identity and his intention to marry a Muslim woman without requiring his conversion. Such conduct fulfils the criteria for a religious hate crime, as the hostility is directed not toward the individual per se, but toward the religious community he represents. The secondary subcategory of torturing the family to force conversion is also evidenced, as the threats extended to Rahul’s entire family, intending to compel submission through collective intimidation. In the Islamic faith, a marriage is deemed illegitimate if the non-Muslim partner does not convert to Islam. For those who practice the faith, when their daughter marries a Hindu man without the man converting to Islam, the difference in religions followed becomes the main point of disapproval for the family of the Muslim woman. Because of the ingrained element of religious supremacy in Islam, even if the motivations are not explicit, it can reasonably be concluded as one of the determining factors of the assault or murder committed by the Muslim family against the Hindu man. This case is part of a wider pattern where interfaith relationships trigger violent reactions from non-Hindu families who wish to preserve religious control. These attacks are not just against one person but against the freedom of Hindus to live and love without changing their religion. They aim to isolate communities, enforce religious boundaries through fear, and deny Hindus their basic right to marry without forced conversion.