Case Summary

In the Harbansh Mohal police station area of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, a 26-year-old Dalit Hindu woman was lured away by a Muslim man, Salman Qureshi, under the false pretext of marriage. When the victim’s father attempted to contact Salman’s family, they were met with threats and verbal abuse. According to media reports, the woman went missing on 29 April 2025. Her family accused Salman and his relatives of misleading their daughter and expressed concern for her safety. A report by Amar Ujala claimed that Salman had concealed his religious identity while luring the woman. Hinduphobia Tracker obtained a copy of the FIR. As per the document, the victim is identified as a 26-year-old Pooja Sonkar, and the complainant is her father, Prem Sonkar. Although the FIR does not explicitly state that Salman hid his identity, however, it does state that on 29 April 2025, at 7:30 PM, Salman Qureshi coerced and persuaded Pooja to elope with him under the promise of marriage. When Prem Sonkar confronted Salman about his daughter’s whereabouts, Salman’s brother, Dawood, reportedly threatened and abused him. Salman's mother allegedly denied any knowledge of Pooja’s location and told the family, “Do whatever you want, you can’t harm us.” The victim’s family remained distressed and scared for Pooja’s safety. Her father demanded immediate legal action and protection, suspecting that she may have been abducted or manipulated under false pretences by Salman Qureshi. An FIR was registered against the accused under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, specifically Sections 87 and 351(3).

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Why it is Hate Crime ?

In this case, the victim was lured away by a Muslim man named Salman, according to the victim’s family. When the victim's father confronted the accused about his daughter's whereabouts, he was threatened and abused. This case would have been a classic case of hate crime motivated by religion if we went by the media reports, as it mentions that the accused hid his religious identity to lure the victim. This itself is a clear manifestation of bias and malicious intent towards the victim's religion. When the accused conceals his true identity, he exploits the victim's trust, targeting her under false pretences. This indicates a premeditated intent to manipulate her based on her religious background, and such cases warrant inclusion under the 'hate crime' database. However, here, in the FIR accessed by Hinduphobia, there is no mention of the accused hiding his religious identity. The FIR also states that the woman is 26 years old, making her an adult with full legal agency to decide not only to maintain a relationship and marry, but also to change her religion. Now, it is likely that, as the parents say, the girl was lured and taken away by the Muslim man. However, it is also possible that the woman eloped with the Muslim man out of her own free will. Given the lack of statement from the woman herself or any other evidence substantiating that the woman was lured and converted against her will, this case is being added to the undecided database. If more information emerges, this case will be added to the Hinduphobia tracker database.