In a plot that could rival a dramatic movie, two young Hindu boys narrowly escaped an attempt at Islamic conversion during their summer vacation in Delhi. They had come to live with their father, Manoj Kumar Saroj, in the city and were enrolled in a coaching centre in Delhi’s Shakurpur area to improve their English and Maths skills. Instead, they found themselves bombarded with questions about Islam, the Quran, and other Islamic teachings.
‘Jai Mata Di’ coaching centre
Manoj, a Dalit who runs an auto garage in Delhi, lives alone in the Srinagar Colony of Shakurpur while his wife and children reside in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh. He was eager to make the most of the summer vacation for his sons, aged 13 and 12, and decided to enrol them in a highly recommended nearby coaching centre known as JMD (Jai Mata Di).
The centre came with glowing recommendations from locals. Manoj visited the address with his sons and was reassured by the banner displaying the name Jai Mata Di and pictures of Maa Saraswati. Inside, he met a man named Sanjay and, feeling confident, paid the advance fees of Rs. 400 and Rs. 350 for his sons.
However, about two weeks into their coaching, Manoj’s elder son started asking troubling questions. “Papa, what is the Quran?” he asked one evening. Manoj initially brushed it off, but the next day, his son repeated the question, prompting Manoj to delve deeper. His son revealed, “Rizwan Sir at the coaching centre has told me that I should start reading Quran as Islam has more power than our religion.”
“Rizwan Sir asked me to read Quran and stop worshipping our gods as they have no power.” Listen to this 13-year-old Hindu boy who has been manipulated by his teachers to convert to Islam.
Mohd Rizwan, Absar, and Irfan have been accused of luring the minor to Islam.
The case is… pic.twitter.com/kBRTPdlwcB
— Subhi Vishwakarma (@subhi_karma) July 7, 2024
He immediately called the coaching centre, only to be met with hostility. Mohammad Rizwan, the man on the other end, instead of apologising, launched into a tirade of abuse. “He would see Manoj and his family,” he threatened, saying Manoj could do whatever he wanted as he had no fear. The phone call was laced with multiple cuss words.
“He claimed to be the ‘father’ of Dawood Ibrahim and threatened to harm me and my family,” recalls Manoj. “I was aghast. Is that the language of a teacher? What were my sons being exposed to?” he added.
Determined to get to the bottom of this, Manoj visited the centre that same evening. Despite his persistence, he was met with evasive responses and empty reassurances that it was all a misunderstanding.
Manoj attempted to record the confrontation but was hindered by the staff. Nevertheless, he managed to capture some footage.
Back home, Manoj showed the video to his elder son, who immediately identified Rizwan as the man standing beside Manoj in the recording. This revelation left Manoj even more stunned. “Rizwan was right there beside me the whole time, and no one pointed him out,” he said, still in disbelief.
Seeking justice, Manoj approached the locals, who then reached out to Hindu activists. Together, they went to the coaching centre but found it locked and the posters removed. They then took their complaint to the police.
Seeking Justice
Initially, the Subhash Place police station was reluctant to file a complaint, deeming the allegations insufficient for a criminal case. However, after persistent pressure, they accepted a written complaint from Manoj on July 4 and assured an investigation.
Meanwhile, the statements of the minor Hindu boy and his father were circulated on social media. Manoj expressed his frustration about the police’s initial inaction, prompting the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to intervene.
A First Information Report (FIR number: 492/2024) was registered at the Subhash Place police station of the North West district on July 7. The accused were booked under sections 299 and 302 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Notably, the NCPCR has also issued a notice to the district magistrate (number: DD27362, dated: July 8), demanding an investigation report into the matter within three days.
‘Joint Mentors of Discipline’ or ‘Jai Mata Di’?
A local news reporter visited the colony following the incident and shared a picture of the coaching institute with Organiser. The name on the coaching centre read “JMD—’Join Mentors of Discipline’,” which differed from the “Jai Mata Di” name Manoj had mentioned.
Digging deeper, this correspondent asked the journalist, who confirmed that there was indeed a coaching centre named ‘Jai Mata Di,’ established about 30 years ago. The new JMD was an offshoot of the old, well-known coaching centre.
The poster of the coaching centre featured pictures of Maa Saraswati in the corners, along with the names and phone numbers of five teachers: Ibrar, Rizwan, Ajay, Vikram, and Irfan. When shown this banner, Manoj admitted he hadn’t read the board carefully when he enrolled his sons, though he remembered seeing ‘Jai Mata Di’ written on it.
Side of the coaching institute
As reported by Swarajya, one of the teachers from the centre claimed that the allegations of Islamic indoctrination were fabricated by the boys’ father, Manoj, to settle an alleged personal vendetta with Rizwan following a heated argument over the phone.
According to the teacher, Manoj called the coaching centre on the morning of July 4 to inquire about fees. A female staff member handed the phone to Rizwan. “The two men exchanged abuses during the call,” the teacher said, declining to specify the cause of the argument.
“I don’t know the exact reason, perhaps Manoj didn’t want to pay the fees, though I doubt that since it’s not very high,” the teacher speculated, adding, “It seems to be a matter of ego.” The monthly fee was about Rs 750 for both sons, he said.
The teacher claimed that Manoj returned with a group of “20-25 men” and began demanding to see Rizwan, accusing him of forcing his children to convert to Islam. “He started making baseless allegations against Rizwan,” the teacher stated. The coaching centre has submitted videos and phone recordings to the police to support Rizwan, he said.
Regarding the coaching centre’s background, the teacher explained that it is an offshoot of a centre named ‘Jai Mata Di,’ established about 30 years ago. “We studied at that centre, and then some of us opened our own about 12-13 years ago,” he said.
To leverage the main centre’s popularity, they named their centre ‘JMD – Join Mentors of Discipline.’ He acknowledged that locals refer to both centres as Jai Mata Di, distinguishing them only by their addresses. Both centres are a few hundred meters apart.
Organiser checked the Facebook page of the new JMD coaching centre and found pictures of teachers Rizwan and Ibrar wearing tilak, with the profile picture featuring Maa Saraswati. Based on these pictures, it is impossible to identify if they are Hindus or Muslims.
The victim’s side
Manoj, a devout Hindu, told this correspondent, “This coaching centre is very popular in the region, which is why I sent my kids there. Had my son not been curious about what the teachers were telling students, I would have never known what was going on. How often do we ask our children what their teachers say?”
He continued, “This must have happened with other children as well. But they did not speak with their parents, or even if they did, their parents simply ignored it. All of us living here have come from different places just to make a living. Maybe they feared investing their time in this matter, preferring to invest it into other work to make some money.”
He added, “I am a devout Hindu and never expected something like this to happen. I have no issues with people following their religion, but I am firm in my own beliefs. I also know the plight of Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
Manoj speculates that the teachers targeted his children, knowing they would soon return to Jaunpur, thus avoiding immediate repercussions.
“My elder son is very curious and loves to delve deeper into subjects he encounters. If he had taken these ideas back to Jaunpur, he might have been influenced in a different direction,” Manoj said.
Regarding the claims made by the teacher that this was an ego fight between Rizwan and Manoj or an issue about fees, Manoj said, “They are all making this up. I have a video of them saying that they don’t need any fees from me after this matter came to light. I insisted and paid extra for the week my children had attended the centre.”
He recalled how the coaching centre objected to students taking leave on Hindu festivals. On the day of the Ram Mandir Pranpratishtha, his neighbours confirmed that the coaching centre punished students for skipping classes. Conversely, they freely allowed students to take leave on Islamic festivals.
A spate of similar cases
Readers should know that this is not an isolated incident where children have been lured into Islamic practices through various tactics. Whether at school, coaching centres, or other places, parents should ensure their children feel comfortable sharing everything with them.
For instance, in Madhya Pradesh’s Damoh, reported in June 2023, an 11-year-old Hindu boy admitted to a private school named Ganga Jamna began reciting Surah-al-Fatiha and observed Islamic practices. The school had separate greetings in Urdu in their diary, a separate prayer to be offered before and after lunch, and girl students were asked to wear the Hijab, referred to as Ahram by the school authorities. The school also had half days on Fridays, special vacations during Ramzan, and Islamic songs for Independence and Republic Day events.
The issue came to light when posters of Hindu and Jain girls wearing hijabs went viral on social media. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) closely monitored the case and, after an inspection drive, instituted a case against the perpetrators. The school has been shut down, and all the students have been relocated to different government and private schools.
In a similar case reported by Organiser in September 2023, Hindu students at a private school were seen wearing hijabs, singing Islamic songs, and reciting Islamic teachings. The video of these performances went viral, prompting local Hindu activists to assemble at the school. The incident occurred at Prince Global Private School in the Cantt area of the town, where students organised a cultural event celebrating Eid on September 27, 2023. Videos from the event showed Hindu students dressed in various Muslim attires, including little girls wearing hijabs and others in green dupattas, singing Islamic songs. Following the video’s spread, local Hindu activists called for a widespread protest demanding action against the school administration.
In October 2023, a 15-year-old Hindu boy’s father, along with hundreds of Hindu activists, protested in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. They accused a 35-year-old teacher at Saint Aloysius School of having a romantic relationship with the boy and engaging in inappropriate behaviour towards his dharma, including cutting the boy’s shikha, a significant cultural practice for Brahmins. The school allegedly pressured the family to withdraw their protest and made baseless allegations against them. The boy was forced to stay home after his identity was revealed in the media, and his father refused to withdraw the complaint against the teacher.
In June 2023, a concerning incident involving three minor boys from the Jain community were subjected to a disturbing request while playing an online game called Discord. In an attempt to advance to the next level of the game, the boys were instructed to recite verses from the Quran. This incident highlights a troubling pattern of religious insensitivity and coercion within online gaming communities.
Similarly, in September 2023, in Telangana, a complaint was filed against Methodist Rural High School (MRHS) for allegedly converting underage Hindu students. A video of a student claiming coercion into church attendance and forced participation in religious activities went viral. Legal action has been initiated against the school in Zaheerabad, Sangareddy district.
In a shocking incident reported in July 2023, a 17-year-old Hindu girl named Usha Kumari, a student at Saint Xavier School in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, committed suicide after being publicly insulted and slapped by her teacher, Sindu Mam, for wearing a bindi and kalawa. Usha left a suicide note, blaming the teacher for her death.
How to deal with this menace?
In the face of a disturbing series of incidents involving religious coercion and manipulation within educational institutions, it is imperative for both parents and society at large to take a proactive stance in safeguarding the well-being and spiritual integrity of their children.
The recent spate of cases, where students have been subjected to tactics aimed at religious conversion, serves as a stark reminder of the challenges that confront these young learners in their pursuit of education.
The parents must cultivate an environment of open communication and trust with their children. This entails not only understanding their academic progress but also delving deeper into their social interactions and the influences that surround them.
Regular meetings with teachers, beyond the conventional parent-teacher conferences, can offer invaluable insights into the dynamics of the classroom and the personalities of the educators.
Moreover, it is crucial to be vigilant without encroaching upon the autonomy and freedom of the children. Monitoring their mobile phone usage, familiarising themselves with their friend circles, and maintaining a friendly yet watchful eye on their activities can provide a protective shield against potential threats.
This vigilance is not borne out of distrust in the children but rather out of a recognition of the questionable tactics employed by some individuals in positions of authority.
By fostering a balance between freedom and vigilance, parents can ensure that their children are equipped to navigate the complexities of their educational journey with confidence and resilience.
