Muslim man pretends to be a Hindu to marry Hindu woman according to Hindu customs, rapes her after identity is revealed
Yamunanagar, Haryana, India 
23 August, 2021
Case Summary
From Yamunanagar of Haryana, a Dalit woman complained that a Muslim man named Arif married her by pretending to be a Hindu named Ashu. The complaint was filed on December 28, 2022. The woman alleged that she used to go to a school in Chhachhrauli 5 years ago. During this time Arif Khan used to follow her. In the first meeting, Arif declared himself a Hindu named Ashu. After some time both of them became close friends. Allegedly, Arif had physical relations with her in Mohali. He married the victim on August 24, 2021 in Mohali. This marriage took place according to Hindu rituals. The victim and Arif stayed in Punjab for a few days after the marriage. Both of them had also applied for their security in Chandigarh High Court. After a few days, the accused's mother Manju came to meet both of them. It was here that the victim got to know that Ashu was a Muslim. When she complained to Arif about the betrayal, he beat the victim badly and hurled casteist slurs. Along with this, Arif also had unnatural sexual relations with her. He threw the victim out of his house in January 2022. Since then, the victim has been living in her maternal home. She finally lodged a complaint with the police against Arif and his family members. Arif's father Jitendra Khan, mother Manju, Shaheen, Gullu, Harinder Kaur and Kirat Pal have been named in the complaint.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
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. What gives this case a distinct religious angle is that the Muslim perpetrator actively hid his religion and pretended to be a Hindu to ensnare the Hindu woman. He purposely married her as per Hindu rituals to deceive the Hindu girl. Further, when his real identity was revealed, he inflicted torture and threatened the Hindu victim. Since the religious motive of the crime is evident from these facts, this case has been documented as a hate crime.
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 filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
