Hindu woman assaulted, tortured, and forced to embrace Islam, Muslim husband convicted in her death case
Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India 
11 November, 2021
Case Summary
On 6th February, the Additional District and Sessions Court in Agra convicted Faeem Qureshi and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for torturing and harassing his wife, Varsha Raghuvanshi, which ultimately led to her suicide in 2021. Faeem was found guilty under Sections 304B and 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for dowry-related death and cruelty. However, other accused individuals in the case, including Faeem’s father, Qayoom Qureshi, mother, Firdaus Qureshi, brother, Naeem Qureshi, and sister, Tabassum Qureshi, were acquitted due to a lack of sufficient evidence directly linking them to the crime. The prosecution argued that Varsha was not only harassed for dowry but also subjected to religious persecution. The case dates back to 12th November 2021, when Varsha was found dead in her marital home. Her family alleged that she had endured months of severe physical and psychological abuse over repeated dowry demands. An FIR was lodged by her brother, Dushyant Raghuvanshi, against her husband and in-laws, in which he claimed that they had demanded ₹5 lakh and a car as dowry. When these demands were not met, Varsha was subjected to relentless physical and mental torment. He further alleged that her in-laws told her that if she failed to bring the dowry and car, she would be treated as a servant and never accorded the status of a wife. The complaint also stated that Varsha was deliberately isolated, denied financial support by her husband, and coerced by her in-laws to renounce her Hindu faith and convert to Islam. Additionally, it was alleged that she was forced to cook and consume meat against her wishes. During the trial, witnesses testified that Varsha was mocked for performing pooja and insulted for following Hindu traditions. She was allegedly warned that if she continued to refuse conversion to Islam, it could cost her life. On the evening of 12th November, at around 6:30 PM, Varsha’s family received a phone call informing them of her death. Her in-laws claimed that she had died by suicide. Upon hearing the news, her family rushed to her marital home, where they found her lifeless body on the floor. Her husband and in-laws were nowhere to be seen. Varsha’s brother noted that neither he nor the police found her hanging. The suspicious circumstances surrounding her death led to the filing of a police case under stringent sections of the IPC and the Dowry Prohibition Act. Her family contested the in-laws’ claims, insisting that Varsha had been murdered and then hanged to make it appear as a suicide.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added as a religiously motivated hate crime under two prime categories of the tracker. The first is- Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes. Under this, the first sub-category selected is- Forced conversion after marriage. Further, within this, the tertiary category chosen is- Forced to eat beef. In such cases, a non-Hindu man marries a Hindu woman and the force/pressure to convert to Islam begins after marriage. In such cases, the marriage is consensual in most cases and often, there is no element of the man hiding his religious identity. The marriage could be under the Special Marriages Act where neither parties are required to convert their religion for the marriage to be considered legitimate. While the victim in such cases enters matrimony assuming that religious identity is not a barrier, the non-Hindu man starts to pressure the woman to convert to Islam after marriage. In such cases, there is application of force by the perpetrator, including, denial of the woman’s religious rights. Some of the means by which the woman is forced/pressured to convert include force-feeding beef, forced to read the Kalma, forced to wear a hijab, forced for Halala, etc. There are several instances where after marriage, the woman voluntarily converts to Islam. Such cases are often argued to be a result of religious brainwashing, however, for the purpose of documenting religiously motivated hate crimes, in the absence of the victim complaining of forced conversion, such cases do not form a part of the database. The second sub-category under which this case has been placed is- Desecration of Hindu symbols in relationship. When Hindu women are in a relationship with non-Hindu men, there are cases where the woman faces insult and desecration of her faith (Hinduism) and its symbol because of the inherent disregard for polytheism of the non-Hindu partner. 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 desecrating the religious symbols of the Hindu partner out of spite for her faith. 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 selected under the above-mentioned category 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 fourth sub-category selected is- Murdered upon refusal to convert. When Hindu women are in a relationship with non-Hindu men, there are cases where the woman is forced to convert her religion and upon her refusal to do so, the non-Hindu partner murders the victim. 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. In such cases, the Hindu woman is first pressured to change her religion by the non-Hindu man. The pressure could involve threats and/or violence. The trigger to murdering the woman in these cases is her refusal to comply and change her religion under threat and/or force. Such cases are driven by specific religious motivations and against the religious identity of the victim and are therefore qualified as hate crimes. The second prime category relevant here is- Attack resulting in death. This case exhibits multiple religious markers that clearly establish it as a religiously motivated crime specifically targeting a Hindu victim. Here, the Hindu woman married the Muslim man assuming that their religious identities would not be a hindrance in their married life, however, the Muslim man started applying pressure on the victim to convert to Islam and follow Islamic principles against her will. She was forced to cook and consume meat against her wishes. She was mocked for performing pooja and insulted for following Hindu traditions. She was mentally and physically tortured and threatened with death if she refused to accede to the conversion demands. Deceiving a Hindu woman into marriage by falsely assuring her that her religion will not be an obstacle, only to later force her to convert, is inherently malicious. It violates her right to make informed choices about her relationships, particularly those involving deep cultural and religious aspects. The subsequent coercion to convert to Islam further reinforces religious hostility, as it seeks to strip her of her faith and impose a belief system against her will. This form of exploitation, especially when accompanied by coercion, threats, and religious deception, demonstrates a profound disregard for her religious identity. It is a calculated attempt to exert control over her, using religion as a tool of manipulation and dominance. Such actions are rooted in religious intolerance and serve as clear examples of religiously motivated persecution and this is why, this case has been added to the tracker.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
1
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 1
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 1
- Unknown 0
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Perpetrator held guilty by court
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
