Hindu youth held hostage, tortured, forced to convert and perform Nikah with Muslim girl

Case ID : f66478d | Location : Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Wed, 26 February, 2025

Case ID : f66478d

Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

26 February, 2025

Hindu youth held hostage, tortured, forced to convert and perform Nikah with Muslim girl

Predatory Proselytisation

Harassment, threats, coercion for conversion

Case Summary

A Hindu youth in Malwan in Uttar Pradesh's Fatehpur district was coerced into converting to Islam and subsequently married to a Muslim girl. Following a complaint by the youth’s father, Malwan police registered a case against four individuals, including the girl’s brother, father, and a Maulvi. Three of the accused have been arrested and sent to jail. Ram Prasad, a resident of Bhairampur Nauhaiya in the Hathgam police station area of Fatehpur, reported to the police that his son, Ram Manohar Raidas, had been working in the fruit business in the Haridwar market for the past five years. During this time, he became acquainted with Taufiq, son of Hakim Shah, a resident of Mirpur Kurusti under the Malwan police station in Fatehpur. The two developed a friendship, and Ram Manohar began interacting with Taufiq’s family. According to the complaint, Taufiq started pressuring Ram Manohar to convert to Islam, promising to arrange his marriage with his sister, Shabnam. On the evening of February 27, Ram Prasad learned that Taufiq, along with his father Hakim Shah, relative Imtiaz, and Maulvi Azam Khan, had held Ram Manohar hostage in their home. Upon reaching Mirpur Kurusti with his family, Ram Prasad discovered that Taufiq had already renamed Ram Manohar Munawwar and had him married to his sister. Maulvi Azam Khan played a key role in solemnising the marriage. When Ram Prasad and his family protested, they were threatened and driven away. Additionally, Taufiq presented a notarised affidavit dated May 8, 2024, which stated that Ram Manohar had willingly agreed to the conversion and marriage. Ram Prasad, however, asserted that he would accept both his son and daughter-in-law if they returned to Sanatan Dharma. Meanwhile, Taufiq also provided the police with a notarised affidavit regarding the agreement between his sister Shabnam and Ram Manohar. Senior Sub-Inspector Vinod Kumar Singh of Malwan police station confirmed that based on Ram Prasad’s complaint, a case has been registered against Taufiq, his father Hakim Shah, Maulvi Azam Khan, and Imtiaz for forcibly holding Ram Manohar, coercing him into conversion, and arranging his marriage. The arrested individuals have been identified as Taufiq (28), son of Hakim Shah; Imtiaz (38), son of Badruddin; and Maulvi Azam Khan (45), son of Abrar. They have been taken into custody and sent to jail.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the category of- Predatory Proselytisation. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Harassment, threat, coercion for conversion. Harassment covers a wide range of behaviours of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behaviour that demeans, humiliates, and intimidates a person, including threats and coercion. Harassment and threats, in this case, find their root on discriminatory grounds which has the effect of nullifying a person’s rights or infringing upon his freedom to exercise his right specifically owing to the victim’s religious identity. Verbal and physical threats and psychological or physical harassment are often used against Hindu victims because they choose to practice their professed religion. Religious harassment also includes forced and involuntary conversions by harassment, threats or coercion. Coercion includes intimidatory tactics like force-feeding a Hindu victim beef to convert to another religion, forceful circumcision etc. In several cases documented, non-Hindu perpetrators or those who harbour specific animosity towards Hinduism, harass victims simply based on their religious identity. Such cases often also include harassment to ensure the Hindu victim abandons his/her professed religion and adopts the religion of the perpetrator. Such cases where Hindu victims are harassed to convert to the perpetrator’s religion are rooted in animosity towards the victim’s religious identity and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. The incident in Malwan, where a Hindu youth was allegedly forced to convert to Islam and subsequently married to a Muslim girl, constitutes a religiously motivated hate crime under Predatory Proselytisation. It specifically falls under the sub-category of Harassment, Threat, Coercion for Conversion, as the victim, Ram Manohar Raidas, was reportedly held against his will, subjected to pressure, and compelled to renounce his faith. This is not merely an instance of coercion but a deliberate attempt, fuelled by religious bias, to strip an individual of his native faith and impose another upon him through manipulation and force. The coordinated involvement of multiple individuals, including Taufiq, his father, a relative, and a Maulvi, highlights a premeditated scheme to target and convert a vulnerable Hindu youth under duress. The notarised affidavit presented by the accused appears to be a feeble effort to justify the forced conversion and marriage, despite undeniable evidence that Ram Manohar’s family was threatened and forcefully driven away when they opposed the act. Furthermore, the active role of Maulvi Azam Khan in solemnising the marriage reinforces the religious agenda behind this act, making it evident that this was not a case of free will but a calculated act of coercion motivated by religious hostility, and this is why this case has been added to the tracker.