Hindu widow and her minor daughter trapped, forced to convert, assaulted and raped by Muslim men
Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, India 
19 April, 2025
Case Summary
A man named Rizwan was arrested in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, for sexually abusing a Hindu widow and her 17-year-old minor daughter. The husband of the woman died five years ago. She runs a beauty parlour and was initially drawn into a relationship with Rizwan, who persuaded her to convert to Islam and marry him. Following this, Rizwan repeatedly assaulted her, resulting in her pregnancy. The abuse extended to her minor daughter, who was also raped by Rizwan and his brother, Imran. The daughter was pressured to convert to Islam as well. Eventually, the daughter confided in her mother, who then approached the police. The complaint led to the registration of a case under various laws, including the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and laws against forced religious conversion. Following the complaint, the police arrested Rizwan, while his brother Imran remained at large.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category- Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes. The sub-category relevant in this case is- Forced conversion before marriage, and within it, the tertiary category selected is- Forced to do Nikah. In such cases, a non-Hindu man is in a relationship with a Hindu woman when the pressure to convert her religion begins to manifest. The relationship in such cases is mostly consensual and the religious identity of the perpetrator is known to the Hindu woman in the relationship, however, at some point during the relationship, the non-Hindu man starts to force the victim to convert her religion and give up her Hindu religious identity. In such cases, the methods used to force the victim to convert her religion often revolve around force-feeding beef, forcing her to wear hijab, forcing her to read the Kalma or even pressurizing the victim to do ‘Nikah’, which is marriage under Islamic law, with a prerequisite being conversion to Islam. Cases where a Hindu woman consensually converts to Islam in a relationship will be left out of the hate crime database, even though it could be argued in several cases that the conversion was a result of religious brainwashing. The second category under which this case has been placed is- Predatory proselytisation. Under this, the first sub-category 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. The second sub-category selected under the category- Predatory proselytisation is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. The tertiary categories selected here 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 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 proselytization, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. This case qualifies as a hate crime because the perpetrator specifically targeted a Hindu woman and her minor daughter with the intent to forcibly change their religious identity through coercion, threats, and sexual violence. The pattern of abuse included pressuring the victims to convert to Islam, forcing the woman to undergo a religious marriage (Nikah), and extending the coercion and assault to her minor daughter, who was also subjected to rape and threats. The deliberate targeting of a minor for grooming and conversion, as well as the use of sexual violence as a tool to enforce religious change, underscores the specific intent to harm the victims because of their Hindu faith. Such acts are recognised as hate crimes due to the clear religious motivation and the exploitation of the victims' minority status, mirroring similar patterns documented in the tracker, where Hindu women are targeted for religious conversion. It is important to mention here that the details of this case reveal that one of the Hindu victims was a minor girl, indicating a lack of consent and a genuine change of conscience. It is a well-established fact that children are more susceptible to manipulation since they are still developing emotionally, cognitively, and socially. Their brains are not fully mature, making them more vulnerable to influence and less capable of critically evaluating information. Moreover, subtle manipulation tactics can be difficult to detect, especially when employed by trusted authority figures in positions of influence. This makes it challenging for parents to identify and address instances of religious manipulation. Consequently, cases involving religious manipulation of minors not only represent an infringement on an individual's religious freedom but also demonstrate a calculated strategy of targeting those who are less able to resist or understand the long-term implications of conversion, making it a significant case of religious-motivated hate crime. For all the above reasons, this case has been added to the tracker.
Victim Details
Total Victim
2
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 2
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 2
Age Group
- Minor 1
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
