Case Summary

In Siddharthnagar, Uttar Pradesh, a 22-year-old Hindu girl named Pooja was lured away by a Muslim youth, Asif, along with his family members. The Hinduphobia Tracker accessed the FIR filed by the victim's mother. She stated that on September 14, 2025, the accused Asif, his father Akbar Ali, his mother, and his three sisters lured her daughter away with the intention of forced religious conversion and marriage. She also stated that the accused’s family is involved in the work of religious conversion. As per media reports, the victim's mother filed a police complaint against the Muslim accused and his family members on September 17, 2025. The police confirmed that the case was under investigation and that efforts were underway to apprehend the Muslim perpetrators and rescue the Hindu victim.

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Why it is Hate Crime ?

In this case, the mother of a 22-year-old Hindu girl named Pooja filed a police complaint, stating that her daughter was lured and taken away by a Muslim youth named Asif with the active involvement of his family members. She stated that the accused lured her away with the intention of forced religious conversion and marriage, further adding that the family of the accused was engaged in organised activities of conversion. At Hinduphobia Tracker, numerous incidents have been documented previously in which Hindu women and underage girls were approached by Muslim men, coerced into conversion, and then subjected to various forms of sexual exploitation. These cases reveal patterns of deep-seated religious prejudice, in which love and marriage are presented as tools for religious conversion. In such instances, these acts represent clear examples of religiously motivated crimes. Within this wider context, the complaint lodged by the victim’s mother fits into a recurring pattern of religiously motivated crimes against Hindu women. At the same time, it is important to consider the autonomy of the victim involved. At 22 years of age, the victim is legally an adult and has the right to make her own decisions regarding engaging in relationships or converting her religion, provided that such decisions were not forced or made under duress. There is a possibility that she acted independently and of her own volition. Often in such cases, emotional distress and social stigma influence the statements of the victim's family. At Hinduphobia Tracker, cases are categorised as religiously motivated hate crimes only after carefully reviewing all available evidence. Since the investigation was ongoing and the victim’s testimony is not yet available, this leaves key aspects of the incident unverified. Therefore, this case has been placed in the ‘Undecided’ database. If further evidence confirms coercion, abduction, or religious pressure, the case will be reviewed and reclassified under the hate crime database.