In another instance of alleged “Love Jihad” in Uttar Pradesh, a minor Dalit girl narrowly escaped death at the hands of Sakib Mirza. Sakib had initially presented himself as Sagar Kumar and formed a relationship with the girl. Upon discovering his true identity, he began harassing and stalking her. Annoyed by the fact that she ceased communication with him due to his Muslim identity, Sakib attacked and assaulted the minor in the market on May 3. He threatened to kill her, prompting the filing of a case against him. Currently, Sakib has been apprehended by the police.
Love Jihad is a term defining spate of cases where Muslim men use fake identities to trap women from other religion and later force them to convert to Islam.
A First Information Report (FIR number: 250/2024) has been registered at the Sadar Bazar Police Station of the Saharanpur on May 6. The victim’s mother, Rani, told the police about the harassment and the torture endured by her daughter.
Rani informed the police that she and her 17-year-old daughter belong to the Valmiki community. Her daughter had previously been in contact with Sakib Mirza, but she had ceased communication at Rani’s request. Since then, Sakib has been persistently calling them from various numbers and verbally abusing them. On May 3, the minor left home for a household task when Sakib confronted her. She rushed to a neighbour named Rashmi’s house for safety, but Sakib pursued her, shouting and threatening to kill everyone present if she was not handed over to him.
He accosted the minor, inappropriately touched her, and attempted to assault her. She cried out for help, prompting the landlord to intervene. Sakib managed to flee the scene but not before threatening to kill the minor and her entire family.
Based on this complaint, the Saharanpur Police booked Sakib Mirza under IPC sections 354-A (sexual harassment), 354-D (stalking), 506 (criminal intimidation), and sections 7 and 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act with sections 3(1)(m) and 3(1)(o) of the Prevention of Atrocities Act which is loosely called as the SC-ST Act.
On May 7, while the minor victim was in court to provide her statement to the magistrate, Organiser contacted her. She revealed that Sakib had initially introduced himself as Sagar Kumar before they became friends. She later discovered his true identity through mutual friends and by checking his real social media account. The account he used to chat with her turned out to be a fake one.
Upon learning his real identity, she ceased communication with him, which led to his harassment of her. This included numerous phone calls and threats. She recounted how, during their relationship, he would pressure her to stay at home, wear suits, and cover her head.
On May 3, he first assaulted her in the market, but she managed to escape and sought refuge at a neighbour’s house. Upon finding out her location, Sakib arrived and started banging on the neighbour’s door, even threatening to kill the neighbour, Rashmi.
In an interview with a local YouTube channel, Rashmi shared that Sakib was violently kicking the door, but she refused to open it. He was verbally abusing the minor, her parents, and causing chaos in the neighbourhood. Rashmi was aware that if she opened the door, he would likely kill her. She says, she knows how he has been calling and threatening the minor in the past few days.
Rashmi was inside her home with her two children and the minor victim that day. When Sakib’s aggression persisted, she called her brother-in-law for help. Upon seeing him and the landlord, Sakib fled the scene.
The mother of the victim also talked to the media and confirmed the incident, saying that the accused barged into her house and harassed her daughter when she was not at home. “I returned home from work to see my daughter sitting at my neighbour’s house. On asking, she told me about the incident. Our house was messed up, and my daughter was also in pain. We came to the police for help but the authorities initially did not cooperate. However, now a police complaint has been filed in the case,” the mother said.
The minor revealed that Sakib possesses some of her pictures and videos, and he has been using them to threaten her.
Due to the urgency of the situation, the minor was unable to provide further details at that time. Organiser will update the report once they have had the opportunity to speak with her again.
Organiser examined the social media accounts of the accused, Sakib, who goes by the name “King Sakib” on Instagram. He has two handles, “its___mirza___bhai” and “its___mirza___king.” On these accounts, Sakib has shared numerous short videos and clips. In one of the clips, he refers to himself as a “Sigma Male,” a term used to describe stud males, similar to the protagonist in the well-known “Animal” movie.
In another disturbing clip, Sakib recorded college girls coming out of the campus without their knowledge and permission.
Organiser contacted the Station House Officer (SHO) at Saharanpur Police Station on May 7 to obtain a statement regarding the case. The SHO stated that an investigation is currently in progress, and the police have apprehended Sakib. However, they were unable to provide further details at that time.
In an official press note released on May 7, Saharanpur Police stated the accused who used to follow and assault a minor has been arrested.
It is pertinent to mention that the victim has told Organiser that the accused used a fake identity to trap her, still, no section of the Uttar Pradesh Freedom of Religion has been invoked in the FIR. We will update the story if the police adds further sections against Sakib in this case.
