Married Hindu woman dies after consuming acid as a Muslim man harasses her to convert to Islam and marry him, threatens to rape her
Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, India 
9 June, 2023
Case Summary
In Madhya Pradesh's Dewas district, a married Hindu woman named Reena committed suicide by consuming acid after months of harassment by a Muslim man named Zakir. Following the incident, Zakir was arrested and sent to jail. Reena's family said that Zakir had been pressuring her to marry him and convert to Islam, and he may have forced her to consume acid. Locals protested outside Zakir's house, demanding justice and even attempted to demolish his house. Police intervened to control the situation. Reena's family stated that Zakir had been harassing her for months and Hindu organizations demanded harsh punishment for him. Traders closed their shops in protest, and police from multiple stations were deployed in the area. The police stated that there was no evidence of conversion, but stern action would be taken if found.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
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 victim in this case, a Hindu, was coerced into accepting Islam instead of her professed religion, making it a unique instance of hate crime motivated by religion. Unable to accept that, the victim was forced to end her own life. Based on the information provided, this instance fits within the hate tracker's core category of "predatory proselytization" and its subcategory of "suicide after pressure to convert".
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
1
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 1
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 1
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
