In an incident of forced conversion involving grooming Jihad in Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun district, Azim Ali, a Muslim youth, reportedly compelled a Hindu girl to convert to Islam and marry him in a Nikah ceremony. The accused allegedly fed meat to the victim forcibly and took her to Dargahs and read Islamic texts. When the Hindu victim resisted, Azim Ali allegedly physically assaulted her.
The victim of forced conversion filed a complaint against the accused, Azim Ali, at the Kotwali Nagar police station on June 25. In her complaint, the victim stated that when she was 17, a 24-year-old Azim Ali, who resided in her neighbourhood, lured her into his love trap. Azim repeatedly sexually assaulted the girl and used obscene images and videos as a form of blackmail.
About a year ago, Azim abducted the victim, threatening to kill her and circulate her explicit video. After the girl’s father reported the incident to the police, Azim and his father, Shakir Ali, pressured her into providing a statement favouring them. Among the five accused in the case of forced conversion, Shakir Ali, a chemist by profession, is one of them.
After the victim’s statement was recorded in court, Azim Ali brought her to his house, where he, along with his father Shakir Ali, mother Reshma, brother Nadeem Ali, and sister Saima, began pressuring her to abandon Hinduism and embrace Islam. The Muslim family accused of coercion forced the victim, who is a strict vegetarian, to prepare and consume meat.
In her complaint, the forced conversion also claimed that she was compelled to wear Islamic clothing and study Islamic books. She was forcibly taken to tombs against her wishes. When she objected, she was confined to a room and subjected to severe physical assault. Additionally, the victim was left famished for a very long time.
A few days later, Azim forcibly converted the Hindu girl to Islam and married her in a Nikah ceremony. After the nikah, the girl was named Mayra. On June 24, Azim, along with his mother, father, and brothers, started attacking the victim. They were furious because she did not observe Islamic customs.
The victim of forced conversion escaped from the accused’s captivity and arrived at the police station late at night. She narrated her ordeal to the police and demanded strict punishment for the perpetrators. Based on her complaint, the police have filed an FIR against Azim and his family members. The accused individuals have been charged under Sections 323, 504, and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 3/5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act 2021. Badaun police have stated that the case is under investigation and that further necessary actions are being taken.
