Hindu woman blackmailed, coerced into reciting Kalma and Islamic marriage by Muslim man posing as Hindu
Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India 
19 April, 2025
Case Summary
A Dalit Hindu woman from Bahadarabad, Haridwar, was deceived, raped, blackmailed, and forcibly converted by a Muslim man who trapped her by hiding his identity and posing as a Hindu man named "Sonu Kumar." According to the victim, the accused — later identified as Babar, a Muslim man from Deoband — offered to help her in a legal case and gradually gained her trust under the pretence of marriage. He introduced himself as Sonu, drugged her by mixing intoxicants into a cold drink, and took her to Mohalla Ladwawala in the City Kotwali area of Muzaffarnagar, where he raped her while she was unconscious and recorded obscene videos. Babar later used these videos to blackmail her and continued to sexually exploit her over time. He brought her again to Muzaffarnagar, where he forcibly made her recite the Kalma in front of a Maulana and sign documents presented as marriage papers. Only afterwards did he reveal his real identity as Babar. With the help of Narendra Panwar of the Hindu Jagran Manch, the victim submitted a written complaint to the police on 20 April 2025. IPS Rajesh Gunawat confirmed that an investigation is underway, with the victim’s statement being recorded and a medical examination pending. When this report was published, efforts were ongoing to locate the accused, as he was absconding.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes. Within this, the first sub-category selected is- Man pretends to be Hindu, and the tertiary category selected under this is- Name changed. When a non-Hindu man pretends to be a Hindu to deceive a Hindu woman into a relationship, the act is seen as triggered by malafide intentions. In some cases, the woman eventually accepts the man’s original religious identity and converts after the man’s identity is revealed. These cases could be argued as cases of religious brainwashing and a result of the pressure a woman feels after getting into a relationship with a man. The woman, it can be argued, also changed her religious identity because of the stigma she believes she might face if she chooses to walk out of a deceptive relationship. However, for the purpose of documenting hate crimes, the cases in this subcategory are limited to those where there is explicit violence aimed at religious conversion against the wishes of the victim (force-feeding beef, blackmailing with intimate videos, rape on refusal to convert, etc), or if the woman herself complains of the man’s religious deception. In such cases, it is established that the deception of the non-Hindu man had a specific aim of religious conversion or targeting of the victim due to her Hindu religious identity, therefore, making it a religiously motivated hate crime. The second sub-category selected here is- Blackmailed to convert. When Hindu women are in a relationship with non-Hindu men, there are cases where the woman is blackmailed to convert her religion, owing to her religious identity of being a Hindu. Such relationships may be consensual with the religious identity of the non-Hindu man known to the victim, however, there could be cases where the relationship is not consensual and the non-Hindu man starts blackmailing a Hindu woman to convert her religion. In these cases, it is often seen that the Hindu woman is blackmailed with intimate photos and/or videos, threats of harm to her or her family, threats of violence, etc. Such cases are driven by specific religious motivations and against the religious identity of the victim and are therefore qualified as hate crimes. The third sub-category under which this case has been placed is- Forced conversion before marriage. Within this, the tertiary categories selected are- Forced to follow non-Hindu religious practices and 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 pressurising 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. This incident qualifies as a religiously motivated hate crime because the accused deliberately targeted a Hindu woman through deception rooted in religious identity. By falsely presenting himself as a Hindu man named "Sonu Kumar," he exploited the victim’s trust, which was built on the belief that he shared her faith. His actions were not random or personal—they were driven by a calculated intent to manipulate, exploit, and forcibly convert a woman based on her Hindu identity. The adoption of a Hindu name and the subsequent forced recitation of Kalma and Nikah underscore the element of religious coercion. This was not merely a case of sexual exploitation; it was an act where the victim’s religious beliefs were specifically targeted and violated, reflecting clear hostility toward her faith. Moreover, what further highlights the malicious intent behind the act is that the accused not only violates her by raping her but also records obscene videos to blackmail her into converting to Islam. This act goes beyond mere criminal behaviour; it is a calculated and malicious attack on her religious identity. By assuming a false Hindu identity, the Muslim perpetrator betrays the girl's trust, manipulating her into a situation where he can coerce her into abandoning her faith. The use of blackmail to force conversion is a clear demonstration of religious hate, as it targets the victim's religious beliefs and seeks to erase her identity. This case is a glaring example of how deep-seated intolerance can manifest in violent and coercive actions, with the ultimate goal of religious subjugation and domination. The deliberate nature of the deception and the subsequent attempt to force conversion highlights the extent of disdain the accused harboured for the victim's faith, making this a clear case of religiously motivated hate. Therefore, this case goes beyond individual misconduct and constitutes a hate crime—an act motivated by religious bias against Hindus, intended to undermine, humiliate, and control a woman based on her hindu identity.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 1
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 1
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 0
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
