Hindu girl sexually exploited and forced to convert to Islam by Muslim man faking his identity

Case ID : f6647ad | Location : Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India | Date of Incident : Thu, 27 February, 2025

Case ID : f6647ad

Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India

27 February, 2025

Hindu girl sexually exploited and forced to convert to Islam by Muslim man faking his identity

Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes

Man pretends to be Hindu

Name Changed

Wears symbols of Hinduism

Assault or threat upon refusal to convert

Forced conversion before marriage

Case Summary

In Haridwar, a Hindu woman was sexually exploited under the false promise of marriage by a Muslim man who had concealed his true identity. The man later attempted to coerce her into converting to Islam and marrying him. The accused, identified as Afsan, had befriended the woman at a gym, deceiving her by introducing himself as a Hindu named Arsh. He would often wear a tilak to reinforce his false identity. Their friendship developed into a romantic and sexual relationship on the assurance of marriage. However, when the woman asked him to marry her, he revealed his true identity and insisted that she convert to Islam before marriage. His parents, brother, uncle, and even the village head also pressured her to convert. When she refused, she was abducted, and an attempt was made to forcibly convert her. SSP Pramod Doval stated that, according to the victim’s testimony, the accused had exploited her under the pretext of marriage and attempted to forcefully convert her. He further confirmed that the accused’s family had been complicit in the crime and assured strict action against them as well. The Hindu woman managed to escape from Afsan’s captivity and, with the support of Hindu organisations, lodged a police complaint. A case was registered against the accused, and he was subsequently arrested. The victim, fearing for her safety, requested police protection.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Crimes against women in relationships and other sexual crimes. Under this, the first sub-category selected is- Man pretends to be Hindu. Within this, the tertiary categories selected are- Name changed and Wears symbols of Hinduism. 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. The second sub-category selected 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. The relationship in such cases is mostly 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. In such cases, 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 third sub-category under which this case has been placed 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 pressuring 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. This case exhibits multiple religious markers that clearly establish it as a religiously motivated crime specifically targeting a Hindu victim. Firstly, the accused, a Muslim man, deliberately concealed his religious identity to deceive the Hindu girl. He wore a tilak to further deceive the Hindu woman. In Hinduism, the Tilak holds deep religious, cultural, and spiritual significance. It symbolises protection, blessings, unity, and commitment to spiritual and ethical principles. Its use across various rituals and ceremonies underscores its importance in the Hindu way of life. By exploiting the religious symbol sacred to Hindus, the Muslim accused not only betrayed the woman's trust but also showed a profound disrespect for her faith. The subsequent coercion to convert to Islam adds another layer of religious hate, as it attempts to strip the victim of her religious freedom and force her into a belief system against her will. This type of exploitation, particularly when it involves coercion, threats, and religious deception, highlights a profound disrespect for the victim's faith and autonomy. It is a deliberate and calculated attempt to exert control over her, using religion as a tool of manipulation and domination. Such actions are rooted in religious intolerance and are clear manifestations of religiously motivated hate.