Krishna Giri with wife Ladli alias Pooja and his children (Photo: Organiser)
A recent incident from Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, has highlighted religious intolerance within Islam towards other faiths. Krishna Giri, who married Ladli Khatun in 2016, faced increasing pressure to convert to Islam after the birth of their two children. The couple initially moved to a different town but returned to Kushinagar in 2020. Since their return, Ladli maintained close contact with her family. In recent months, she began pressuring Krishna to convert to Islam and have their son circumcised. Although Krishna initially complied and converted in 2020, he soon performed a ghar wapsi ceremony and reverted to his Sanatan fold.
This decision angered Ladli’s family, who, according to Krishna, started manipulating her after dismembering contact for some time. Under their influence, she recently left home with their children. Krishna now fears that Ladli intends to convert their children to Islam and alleges that she has been threatening and defaming him with her family’s support.
“Convert of I will commit suicide..”
Krishna Giri filed a First Information Report (FIR number: 184/2024) on May 21 at the Sewarhi Police Station in Kushinagar.
In his complaint, Krishna recounted their marriage in 2016 and the subsequent birth of their children. The family lived harmoniously until 2020, when Ladli, influenced by her relatives, began pressuring Krishna to convert to Islam. Although Krishna initially converted, he and his wife soon returned to their Hindu faith, as he firmly believed in Sanatan Dharma. A case against the same was also registered, despite this, Ladli participated in Hindu rituals.
Over the last three months, Ladli’s behaviour has become increasingly erratic. She renewed her demands for Krishna to convert and insisted on their son’s circumcision. Although initially resisting her family’s pressures, Ladli ultimately relented.
On May 16, while Krishna was out driving his auto rickshaw, he returned home at 1:30 pm to find Ladli and their children missing. Witnesses reported that a cleric and some unknown individuals had taken her away. Since then, Ladli’s phone has been switched off, and Krishna has been unable to locate her or their children.
The police, based on Krishna’s complaint, have booked unidentified individuals under Section 363 (abduction) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Speaking with Organiser on May 24, Krishna Giri expressed his distress over the actions of Ladli’s family members, stating that they had manipulated her. He remarked, “Things were going well; how come all of a sudden she started demanding conversion and now left home?”
Krishna recounted that their relationship began as a love marriage, which led them to leave Kushinagar. They were married at an Arya Samaj temple, where Ladli accepted Hindu Dharma and took the name Pooja. The couple lived in a nearby village for about four years until their son and daughter were born. After the birth of their children, they returned to Kushinagar, where Ladli reconnected with her family. Although Ladli frequently visited her family, Krishna never accompanied her.
By 2020, Ladli had begun to routinely ask Krishna to meet her parents and marry her according to Islam, insisting it was for their happiness since she had done so much for him. Succumbing to her persistent requests, Krishna eventually agreed to meet her parents and converted to Islam in January 2020.
Kalma, Nikah and Ghar Wapsi
Upon learning of Krishna’s conversion, his father, Ramsut Giri, lodged a complaint against Ladli’s family, alleging that they had coerced his son into converting with threats and promises of money. A First Information Report (FIR Number: 7/2020) was registered at the Sewarhi Police Station on January 18, 2020, by Ramsut Giri.
In his complaint to the police, Ramsut Giri alleged that Anwar Khan, Javed, Nazma, Farha, Tabassum, and a cleric had forcibly converted his son, Krishna, to Islam. Ramsut explained that Krishna had married their daughter, Ladli, who had willingly accepted Hindu Dharma. However, her family subsequently coerced Krishna into converting to Islam and undergoing a Nikah ceremony.
Based on this complaint, the accused were charged under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Section 323 (causing hurt), Section 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), Section 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), and Section 147 (rioting).
Additionally, Ramsut had previously submitted a written statement to the police regarding repeated death threats he had received. In this letter, he asserted that if any harm befell him, Anwar Khan should be held responsible.
However, after converting to Islam, Krishna felt uneasy and reverted back to the Sanatan fold within days. Not only did he return to Hindu dharma, but his wife and children also joined him in a Ghar Wapsi ceremony. They drank tulsi jal and performed the Ramayan path as part of their purification process.
Namaz and Threats for Conversion
In an interview with Organiser, Krishna shared how his wife’s behaviour changed suddenly. He explained that after they returned to Kushinagar, they initially lived with his family. However, following the conversion and subsequent Ghar Wapsi, his relationship with his father deteriorated, prompting him to move out and rent a place for his own family.
Krishna rented a store where he opened a shop selling daily necessities, and Ladli helped him with the business. They were happy, and Ladli followed all Hindu rituals and customs, such as performing puja, observing Chhath Vrat, and participating in Holi and Diwali celebrations. She seamlessly embraced the Hindu lifestyle and did not practice Namaz until three months ago.
Although Ladli remained in contact with her family after their return to Kushinagar, her family was initially angry when she reconverted to Hindu dharma in front of the whole village.
However, this anger subsided, and about a year ago, she reunited with her family. She would visit them frequently, but these visits did not affect Krishna or their life together.
Krishna mentioned that their son, aged seven, and daughter, aged five, were enrolled in a prestigious English-medium school in the city. To manage their responsibilities, Ladli took care of the shop while Krishna drove an auto-rickshaw. Unbeknownst to him, while he was out working, Ladli’s family members visited their house and began influencing her views on Hindu Dharma.
Ladli began offering Namaz again, marking a noticeable change in her behaviour. While living with Giri, she outwardly followed Hindu practices, but something had shifted. Over the past three months, her attitude towards him became increasingly hostile. She started telling villagers that Giri was abusive, neglectful, and a poor provider for their family.
She began threatening Giri with severe consequences if he did not convert to Islam. She ominously declared, “Mai to marungi saath bacchon ko bhi le jaungi agar muslamani nahi ki to…” (“I will die, and I will take the children with me if you do not convert to Islam.”)
“Neither I nor my children will become Muslim”
Despite her threats, Giri firmly stated that his children would never become Muslim. Though she seemingly agreed at first, on May 16, she left home, taking their children with her.
Giri searched everywhere he could think of, but Ladli was nowhere to be found. He feared she intended to circumcise their son and convert their daughter. She refused to speak to him, and he was terrified of losing both her and their children.
Regarding his conversion to Islam, Giri recounted that he had recited the Kalma and performed the Nikah in front of a cleric, although he did not undergo circumcision.
When asked why he returned to Sanatan Dharma if things were going well after his conversion, Giri explained, “I am the only son of my family. If I leave my dharma, my family and lineage will be finished. I am a Hindu and will remain so. Neither I nor my children will become Muslim.”
Giri expressed deep distress over Ladli’s actions. He lamented that despite their love marriage and his efforts to make her happy, she had betrayed him. He accused her parents and relatives of manipulating her.
On May 25, Giri informed the correspondent that the Kushinagar police had located Ladli and the children, who were now at the Mahila Police Station. He was not allowed to meet them and was told that they would be presented before the court on Monday (May 26), which would then decide the matter.
Desperately, Giri pleaded with the correspondent, “Mere bacche mujhe mil jayenge na… meri madad karo mam. Aaplog bologe to kuch hoga shayad” (“I will get my children back, right? Please help me, ma’am. If you speak up, maybe something will happen”).
The correspondent could say nothing but ask him to wait till Monday when the court will look into the matter.
Reverse Love Jihad: A Pattern
In July 2023, Organiser reported a similar case where Mahesh Nahata from Badmer district in Rajasthan was striving to get his 8-year-old Jain son from his wife. She had converted to Islam and had their son circumcised by her lover, Iliyas Qureshi, a repeat offender under the POCSO Act with ties to the banned radical Islamic organisation PFI. Mahesh, who married Prarthna from Shajapur district in Madhya Pradesh in 2014, saw their happiness shattered in 2018 when Prarthna fled with Iliyas after a family event in Ratlam. Since then, Mahesh has relentlessly pursued his wife and son, filing four FIRs across Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and conducting raids at seven locations in cooperation with the police.
Threats of conversion by Muslim men to Hindu women have become increasingly common, but now there are instances where Muslim women, after marrying Hindu men, compel them to convert. In April 2023, Organiser reported a case from Aligarh city, Uttar Pradesh, where a Hindu man filed a complaint against his Muslim wife. Ajay accused his wife, Pooja, who was formerly Muslim, of threatening and pressuring him to convert to Islam.
In April 2023, Organiser covered a similar case where a Dalit man from Aurangabad, Maharashtra, filed a complaint against his ex-girlfriend and her family for forced circumcision, extortion, and caste-based abuse. Despite nearly two years of legal struggle, the High Court granted bail to the accused and their family, providing no relief to the victim. Regarding the forced circumcision allegations, the Court cited a lack of conclusive evidence from medical experts to determine whether the procedure was natural or surgical. Addressing the ‘Love Jihad’ aspect, the Bombay High Court emphasised that relationships between individuals from different religions should not be automatically viewed through a religious lens, as they may simply be based on genuine affection. The man, Dipak Ramdas Sonawane, accused the defendant, Sana Farheen Shahmir, of showing him videos featuring Zakir Naik. Sana, known for her participation in Shark Tank India and her brand’s funding from the show’s investors, was implicated in the case.
In December 2022, Maharashtra witnessed another case of forced circumcision. Bablu Milind Chouhan, belonging to the Valmiki Jati, married Rabia Khatun in 2018. After relocating from Solapur to Pune for work, they encountered harassment from their Muslim neighbour, Asif Shiekh, upon discovering Bablu’s Hindu identity. Asif insulted Bablu, labelling him a ‘kafir‘ for marrying a Muslim woman and demanded he convert to Islam or leave Rabia. On October 14, 2022, Asif and Haji Sahab forcibly circumcised Bablu. They also criticised Rabia, stating she should have married a devout Muslim instead of a Hindu ‘kafir‘.
In a similar case from Uttar Pradesh, Jagveer Kori, a Dalit man, filed a complaint against his wife, Pooja, who was revealed to be Haseena Bano twelve years after their marriage. Upon discovering the truth, she began pressuring Jagveer to convert, threatening to harm him and take away his property if he refused. In October 2022, Jagveer disclosed, “My marriage has been built on deception. My wife, who claimed to be an orphan, actually belongs to a large Muslim family. She is not Pooja but Haseena Bano. They forcibly subjected my son to circumcision.” An FIR (number 403/2022) was lodged at the Ayodhya Kotwali in September 2022 regarding this case.
In a similar case from Meerut, Dushyant Choudhary tragically took his own life after facing pressure from his wife, Farah, and her family to convert to Islam. The suicide occurred in January 2022. Following a complaint from Dushyant’s cousin, Johny, the Nauchandi police filed an FIR on January 29, 2023 (number 15/2023). Despite allegations of forced conversion, the police have charged Dushyant’s wife and in-laws only for abetment to suicide. According to Dushyant’s friend, Sumit, Dushyant had started adopting Islamic practices, such as refraining from visiting temples or accepting puja prasad. Sumit even witnessed Dushyant leaving a mosque wearing a skull cap and white kurta-pajama. When Sumit attempted to discuss the matter with him, Dushyant insisted that Islam was the only suitable religion to follow.
In June 2021, a Sikh man from Punjab turned to the court for assistance when his Muslim wife and her relatives began pressuring him to convert to Islam. According to the plea, although his wife had assured him before their marriage that neither she nor her family would ever compel him to change his religion, he faced coercion to abandon his Sikh faith shortly after their wedding. The family insisted that he undergo the Islamic custom of circumcising his son.
In November 2021, a man from Delhi named Mohit registered a police complaint against his wife Sonia who turned out to be Nazreen. After their wedding at an Arya Samaj temple Nazreen’s family forcefully converted Mohit to Islam and they allegedly circumcised him as well.
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