Yet another shocking case associated with a mosque has come to light from the Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh. The family members of a 13-year-old girl accused a cleric and his brother of attempting to rape her inside a mosque. They allege that the minor, who was out to study at the madrasa, was brutally assaulted by the duo. Based on the family’s complaint, both accused have been arrested.
They have also been booked under sections of the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act.
Who locked the minor inside the Mosque?
As per the First Information Report (FIR number: 350/2024), the minor girl, the daughter of Mohammad Irfan, went to the Dhalan Wali Mosque on November 29. At the mosque, Maulana Sajid and his brother Muzammil locked her up. It was only after Munna and Shoaib unlocked the door that she was able to come out.
Based on the complaint from the family and the medical examination of the minor girl, the police booked both Sajid and Muzammil under sections 64(1), 62, 127(2), and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with sections 17 and 18 of the POCSO Act. The accused were arrested by the police on November 30, the day after the FIR was lodged.
What the police told Organiser?
On November 2, Organiser spoke with Station House Officer Gunnaur, OP Gautam, who said, “The accused Muzammil had called the girl to the Madrasa; after he saw people coming, he locked her up inside the room. The cleric, Sajid, who is the brother of Muzammil, attempted to save him and hence locked themselves up.”
He further added, “In no time, people began gathering outside the mosque. Sajid called the parents and grandparents of the girl, and then tensions followed as people saw the trio locked inside a room for three long hours.”
He added that the accused had been arrested and sent into police custody while the minor recorded her statement under section 164 of the CrPC on November 2, in front of a magistrate.
No school, only madrasa for the minor
Organiser spoke with the father of the victim on November 2; Irfan shared, “They tried raping my daughter. The cleric used to teach at the madrasa; my daughter goes to the madrasa to study ‘Alima.’ She studies Quran, Urdu, English, and Hindi there. She does not go to school. Although she studies at another madrasa, she had gone to Dhalan Wali Masjid to meet her brother. There, the accused nabbed her and tried raping her. She was locked up for three hours; who knows what they did to her.”
He added that the terrified minor told them that an attempt to rape her had been made. Following this, his wife filed a complaint at the police station, alleging that the Maulana was complicit in the crime along with his minor brother.
A spate of similar cases
One: On September 23, 2024, police in Rajasthan’s Alwar district arrested a cleric for the rape of a five-year-old girl inside a mosque. The 22-year-old accused, Asjad, who is a maulvi at the mosque, allegedly took the girl from outside her home and assaulted her within the mosque premises.
Two: On May 12, 2024, Ajmer police arrested six minor students from a madrasa for the murder of Maulana Mohammad Mahir, a 32-year-old imam at Mohammadi Masjid, which occurred on April 27, 2024. The students gave conflicting accounts, claiming that three masked men entered the madrasa, killed Mahir, and threatened them to remain silent.
Three: On May 8, 2024, media reports surfaced about a seven-year-old girl from Gorakhpur, UP, being sexually assaulted by her madrasa teacher in Tiwaripur. The girl, who was learning Urdu and Arabic, was alone in the class when the assault took place.
Four: Another case was reported on May 5, 2024, in Rajasthan’s Pali district, where a 19-year-old girl was called to a mosque by a maulvi under the pretence of employment but was instead raped in a mosque room.
Five: In May 2024, a woman visiting Bade Sarkar Dargah in Badaun for exorcism treatment accused a chadar seller and faith healer, Mohammed Rahat, of rape and making obscene videos. She claimed Rahat assaulted her under the guise of treatment in a private room at the Dargah.
Six: On May 12, 2024, the Uttar Pradesh Police arrested Maulvi Jabbar in Ghaziabad for raping a girl over two years, also recording and threatening to distribute derogatory videos. The case came to light after the videos were circulated online.
Seven: Another incident on May 6, 2024, involved the rape of a young girl in a mosque in Kalyan, near Mumbai, by Aqdas Chandu, who was arrested after the girl entered the mosque to drink water.
Eight: On August 24, 2024, a disturbing incident emerged from Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, where at least five minor girls, aged between 5 and 9, were reportedly raped and sexually exploited inside an illegal madrasa. The accused, 34-year-old Maulvi Shabbir Raza, was arrested on charges related to these heinous acts. Raza allegedly intimidated the young victims by recounting tales of ‘djinns’ and threatening to sic these spirits on their parents. Additionally, he is accused of exposing minors to pornographic content on his mobile phone.
Nine: In September 2024, a 24-year-old teacher at a madrasa in Chandigarh was arrested on allegations of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old student. The incident came to light after the victim disclosed the assault to his family, prompting them to notify the police.
Ten: These incidents are not isolated to India; similar cases have been reported in Pakistan, where a maulvi was accused of drugging and repeatedly raping a boy in a mosque in Gujrat, as per an FIR filed in March 2024.
The topic of sexual abuse in religious institutions like madrasas and mosques remains under-discussed due to social taboos and political biases. Mainstream media often overlook such stories, possibly due to a perceived bias against highlighting crimes committed within certain religious communities, highlighting a discrepancy in media coverage and public awareness.
