Hindu man and family targeted with death threats following marriage to Muslim woman

Case ID : ea34a7b | Location : Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Tue, 29 April, 2025

Case ID : ea34a7b

Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

29 April, 2025

Hindu man and family targeted with death threats following marriage to Muslim woman

Men attacked for being associated with non-Hindu women

Attacked by non-Hindu partner or/and her family

Case Summary

In Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, a young Muslim woman named Nargis embraced Sanatan Dharma and married her Hindu partner, Ritik Chaudhary. But after that, her Hindu husband and his family were threatened by her natal family. Nargis willingly adopted the Hindu faith one and a half years ago, having broken away from the strict religious confines of her earlier life. She had been living with Ritik for the past six months, and the couple solemnised their marriage on 28 April 2025 through proper Hindu rituals. Following the marriage, Nargis and her husband came under threat from Nargis' natal family. She reported that members of her own family were enraged by her decision and had issued death threats against her husband and in-laws. Living under constant fear, she released a video on social media seeking police protection and urging the authorities to intervene. The hostility directed towards her came out in the open when she recounted an incident from 30th April. According to Nargis, her husband was stopped in the market by some of her Muslim relatives, who hurled abuse at him and threatened him with false legal cases and even death. Despite the threats and pressure, Nargis stood firm in her decision, stating clearly that she had converted of her own free will and had made the decision after serious consideration. She further added that she had given a sworn statement in the Haridwar court, confirming that she was a 20-year-old adult and had embraced Sanatan Dharma consciously. Her decision, she said, was motivated by the religious injustices she witnessed being inflicted on women in her previous community.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of - Men attacked for being associated with non-Hindu women. The sub-category selected here 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/pressurizing 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. This case qualifies as a hate crime because the violence and death threats against Ritik Chaudhary are explicitly motivated by his religious identity as a Hindu and his relationship with a woman from a different faith. The hostility from Nargis’s natal family arises solely due to Ritik's Hindu identity and his marriage to a Muslim woman who has embraced Sanatan Dharma, highlighting intolerance based on religious differences. 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. The absence of physical violence does not diminish the seriousness of the offence. Verbal attacks, particularly those laced with threats of death and harm based on religious identity, constitute a grave form of hate crime. The intent to punish and intimidate on religious grounds is clear, marking this as a hate crime. Such cases are driven by specific religious motivations and against the religious identity of the victim and are therefore qualified as hate crimes.