A case that follows a certain pattern is referred to as Love Jihad, here a Muslim man lures a Hindu woman to conversion before or after the marriage. Well there is a huge debate about, how real or fake this can be, there are hundreds of cases that follow the same pattern. To add to this pattern there is a special type of interfaith love observed these days. Here, a Muslim woman upon developing a relationship with a Hindu man forces him to convert, extorts money and dumps him at the end. In numerous instances, the boys even get killed either because they feel cheated or because they are threatened
In this recent case from Rajasthan’s Rajsamand district, a Hindu man identified as Harshit Acharya killed himself after having a relationship with Jenab Khatun. Harisht not only converted to Islam for Jenab but also lend her a huge sum of money during their relationship days. He took this drastic step after, Jenab refused to marry him.
As per the First Information Report (number–143/2023) registered at the Kankroli police station of the Rajsamand district on May 3, Harisht’s father Lad Kunwar Acharya held Jenab and her family responsible for his untimely demise.
In his statement to the police Kunwar Acharya said, Jenab trapped Harshit in her fake love and extorted huge sums of money from time to time. She has taken as much as seven lakh rupees from the 23-year-old victim. She even took a scooter, a mobile worth 32,000 rupees from Harshit’s money.
Jenab’s family promised Harisht that they will marry their daughter with him and before that, he will have to convert to Islam. On the pretext of marriage, Harshit was converted to Islam. After conversion, they refused to have the ‘Nikah’ and issued death threats against Harisht and family saying, if he would dare get back to Hinduism they will kill him.
On April 7, 2023, Harshit drank poison, he was taken to the hospital where he died on April 13. This letter was given to the SP office on May 3, after the family found chats and recordings from the victim’s phone. They stated that there is an active group in the village that converts innocent Hindu men and women to Islam for conversion.
As per the complaint, the accused in the alleged murder of Harshit are Jenab Khatun, her mother, Sania, Sajid, Mustafa and the cleric of Deewanshah Dargah. All these accused have been booked under IPC section 143 (unlawful assembly). 306 (abetment to suicide), 384 (extortion) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy).
The victim’s family alleged that the accused forcefully converted the victim to Islam, as there is no dedicated law in Rajasthan to curb religious conversions, hence, no sections for the same have been invoked against the culprits.
In a telephonic conversation Organiser, the victim’s father said that he works as a labourer in the fields whereas Harisht was a photographer and video-mixer. He earned well from his work. Asking about the conversion he said, he had no idea as he mostly remained out for his work.
Harshit’s sister Pooja told Organiser that, after five days of his death they checked his mobile phone, it was locked, they tried a lot of numbers like his birthday, mobile number etc but the phone unlocked from Jenab’s number only.
They checked the phone and found some recordings and pictures from it. All the recordings were after 2021 when he met Jenab. As soon as they checked the Whatsapp and chats Jenab learned about it and threatened the family saying, entering into someone’s private space after their death is illegal and they should get rid of the phone as well as the chats.
Pooja on the other hand checked all the call recordings and learned about the affair. In the same Whatsapp chat they found Harshit converted to Islam and that Jenab and her family extorted money from him, they had made him sign an undertaking as well.
Notably, Pooja had no idea about when Harshit converted to Islam. He studied till class 8, the family believes Harshit would have met this girl at some wedding, during the photo shoot as Harshit was a photographer.
Harshit would often ask for money from his family, a few days back his mother borrowed 50,000 rupees from one of their relatives for Harshit’s work.
Notably, the police teams are investigating the matter and the arrested will be made after the data from Harshit’s phone is thoroughly checked.
It is pertinent to mention that this is not the only case where a Hindu man who converted to Islam killed himself.
In a similar case from Meerut, a man Dushyant Choudhary committed suicide after his wife Farah and family started forcing him to convert to Islam. He committed suicide on January 2022.
Based on a complaint by Dushyant’s cousin Johny, the Nauchandi police filed the first information report (FIR) on 29 January (number 15/2023). However, despite the forced conversion allegations, police have booked Dushyant’s wife and in-laws only for abetment to suicide.
This correspondent talked to Dushyant’s friend Sumit who said, Dushyant had adopted Islamic ways. He stopped going to temples or accepting puja prasad.
Man in picture is Dushyant Choudhary, he died last night. Choudhary married a Muslim girl almost 3 months ago & left his family to live with her.
Since last month he was living with his parents. It has been reported that his in-laws were forcing him to convert. Case from Meerut. pic.twitter.com/IlVPhHfe3q
— Subhi Vishwakarma (@subhi_karma) January 29, 2023
Once, Sumit saw him coming out of a mosque wearing a skull cap and white kurta-pajama. When Sumit tried to talk to him, Dushyant argued that Islam was the only religion suitable to follow. When Sumit argued against it, Dushyant got angry and left.
There are other cases where Muslim women have threatened Hindu men after having an affair with them for conversion.
In April, Organiser reported this case from Uttar Pradesh where a woman named Muskan Khatun started forcing her Hindu husband Ajay to convert to Islam or else she will get him killed. In December 2022, Ajay got married to Muskan as per Hindu rituals, she accepted before the magistrate that she married Ajay on her own wish however, years after marriage she started forcing him to convert to Islam or else she will get him killed.
Organiser reported a case this month where A Dalit man from Aurangabad city of Maharashtra filed a case against his ex-girlfriend and her family for forced circumcision (Khatna), extortion and caste abuse. After struggling for almost two long years, he finds no relief from the High Court as the accused and family were granted bail.
Regarding the allegations of forced circumcision, the Court ruled that medical experts have failed to prove if the circumcision was done naturally or surgically. About the ‘Love Jihad’ angle the Bombay High Court stated that ‘Merely because the boy and girl are from different religions, it cannot have a religious angle. It can be a case of pure love for each other.’
The man Dipak Ramdas Sonawane alleged that the accused Sana Farheen Shahmir also showed him Zakir Naik videos. Sana was a participant in this year’s Shark Tank India and her brand also draws funds from the Sharks (investors) in the show.
Notably, a similar case of forced circumcision was reported in Maharashtra in the month of December 2022. The Man Bablu Milind Chouhan who belongs to the Valmiki Jati get married to Rabia Khatun in 2018.
After their wedding, they moved from Solapur to Pune for work, the place where they lived in Pune resided mostly Muslim families and one of their neighbours Asif Shiekh learned about Bablu being a Hindu.
One day, Asif approached Rabia and asked her if she was Muslim, to which she said yes, she was. Asif began harassing Rabia after that day. When Rabia told this to Bablu, he confronted Asif, but the latter insulted Bablu saying he was a ‘kafir’
Asif told him, “You are Hindu, you are ‘kafir’ and despite that, you married a woman from my religion. Either you convert to Islam or leave her.”
On October 14, 2022, Asif with Haji Sahab get Bablu forcefully circumcised. They also confronted Rabia saying she should have married a ‘Five Times Namazi’ instead of a Kaffir Hindu.
Bablu Chouhan loved Rabia Khatoon, they married each other in 2017. During Covid, Rabia lived with her parents for a while. Since then her relatives & Haji Sahab named Kumel Qureshi started forcing her to bring Bablu to Islam.
In October this year, Haji Sahab circumcised Bablu: pic.twitter.com/mUj3dOUmyN
— Subhi Vishwakarma (@subhi_karma) December 11, 2022
In a similar case from Uttar Pradesh a Dalit man, Jagveer Kori gave a complaint against his wife Pooja who turned out to be Haseena Bano twelve years after their marriage. When the truth came out she started forcing Jagveer to convert to else she will get him killed and take away all his property.
Twelve years after marrying Pooja Jagveer found she was Haseena Bano. They have two kids from their marriage, now that he has found about her religion she & her family members are forcing & threatening him to either convert to Islam or give away his all property to them+ pic.twitter.com/TXy8qLgX4g
— Subhi Vishwakarma (@subhi_karma) September 24, 2022
