Married Hindu woman lured into relationship by Muslim man under pretext of marriage, sexually exploited and forced to convert to Islam
Lakhimpur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
24 May, 2025
Case Summary
In Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh, a married Hindu woman was lured into a relationship by a Muslim man named Shamshad Khan. He sexually exploited her under false pretences of marriage and persuaded her to divorce her husband. Thereafter, she was forced to convert to Islam. According to news reports, the accused was a doctor who owned his own clinic. The victim stated that she met Dr Shamshad while seeking employment, as her family's financial situation was difficult. He offered her a job at his clinic. Following this, Shamshad enticed her into a romantic relationship, engaged in sexual relations with her, and convinced her to divorce her husband with false promises of marriage. Following this, the accused began blackmailing her and pressuring her to convert to Islam. Dr Shamshad Khan and his two sons also sexually exploited her and threatened to kill her if she refused to convert. The distressed woman approached the police and filed a complaint against the accused. Police officer Ramesh Kumar Pandey stated that an investigation would be conducted into the matter.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of 'Crimes against women in relationships and sexual crimes'. Under this, the sub-category chosen is- Forced Conversion before marriage. 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. In such cases, typically, two patterns emerge. First, when the relationship is 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. The second is when the woman gets into a marriage with the man pretending to share her faith. Later, when the truth is revealed, the man starts pressuring the woman to convert her religion and give up her religious identity. In both the situations, 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 other sub-category is - Rape upon refusal to convert. When Hindu women are in a relationship with non-Hindu men, there are cases where the woman faces pressure/threats/violence to convert and change her religious identity by the non-Hindu man. Such relationships may be consensual with the religious identity of the non-Hindu man known to the victim. Somewhere along the relationship, the non-Hindu man starts pressuring the Hindu woman to convert. In some of these cases, the association could be non-consensual as well or, the religious identity of the non-Muslim man could be previously unknown to the Hindu victim. As the case may be, in such cases, the non-Hindu man forces himself sexually on the Hindu woman when she refuses his advances and pressures to convert her religion. The rape of the woman is often seen as either a punishment for the woman refusing to convert. Such cases are driven by specific religious motivations and against the religious identity of the victim and are therefore qualified as hate crimes. The other subcategory selected is - Assault or/ threat upon refusal to convert. When Hindu women are in a relationship with non-Hindu men, there are cases where the woman faces threats or assault after she refuses to convert and change her religious identity owing to pressure/force by the non-Hindu man. Such relationships may be consensual with the religious identity of the non-Hindu man known to the victim. Somewhere along the relationship, the non-Hindu man starts pressurizing the Hindu woman to convert to Islam and upon her refusal, assaults or threatens the victim. Such cases are driven by specific religious motivations and against the religious identity of the victim and are therefore qualified as hate crimes. Cases where the Hindu woman converts to Islam and does not file a complaint about the force or threat, are not considered a part of the hate tracker, even though, it may be argued that the woman was brainwashed or threatened to convert to Islam. The other sub-category relevant 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. In this case, the victim was lured into a relationship and raped by the Muslim perpetrator under the false pretext of marriage. He also compelled her to divorce her previous husband. The woman was then forced to convert to Islam. She was sexually assaulted multiple times by the perpetrator and his two sons. Although the accused did not conceal his identity, the nature of the relationship suggested that the Hindu woman was initially led to believe her faith would not be a barrier to their romantic involvement. Trusting the accused’s assurances, she entered into the relationship, during which the man repeatedly raped her under the pretence of marriage. However, his true intentions became clear when he and his sons began pressuring her to convert to Islam. The accused’s actions clearly demonstrate that this was not merely a case of sexual exploitation. He sought to strip the victim of her Hindu identity and force her to adopt Islam. These acts are not isolated instances of sexual assault, but rather actions rooted in animosity towards the victim’s faith. This suggests that the victim was religiously profiled, lured, and sexually assaulted to further the underlying agenda of religious conversion. The accused wanted to convert the victim to Islam. The perpetrators also threatened the woman with death if she refused to convert to Islam. This indicates that the entire incident was a premeditated effort to convert the Hindu woman to Islam, motivated by deep-seated religious animosity towards her Hindu identity. Such instances of sexual violence, coercion, and forced conversion of Hindu women arise from hatred and intolerance for the victim’s original faith. The perpetrator’s actions reflect a pattern of religious profiling and sexual exploitation of Hindu women by Muslim men. The perpetrator specifically targeted the victim because of her Hindu faith. He manipulated her into a relationship under false pretences, raped her, and then pressured her to convert to Islam. This highlights a pattern of manipulation and sexual exploitation, all centred around forcing her to change her religious beliefs. Such actions are designed to intimidate, control, and harm Hindu victims because of their background. This targeting based on religion, combined with rape under the pretext of marriage and pressure to convert, is what makes this case a hate crime against a Hindu woman and warrants its inclusion in the hate crime database.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
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
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
