A shocking case has emerged from Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, where a minor Dalit girl was abducted and taken to Kerala with the intention of forcibly converting her to Islam and preparing her for jihadi terror activities.
Senior police officer Ajay Pal Sharma, in a statement to the media, confirmed that the girl belongs to the Dalit community and is a minor. The entire sequence of events unfolded over a two-week period.
Two individuals have been detained on charges of abducting the girl and forcing her to convert. The girl was taken from Prayagraj to Kerala, where she was being trained for terror-related activities. One of the members of the group, from the Muslim community, has also been molesting the minor.
The incident came to light on June 28, when the girl’s mother submitted a complaint with the Prayagraj Police. A woman from the same village had lured the girl with money and taken her to Kerala. During the journey, she was told that other Dalit girls had already converted and were living happily, with some sent abroad.
The girl was taken to Thrissur, from where she managed to escape and contacted the Kerala Police. With their help, she got in touch with the Prayagraj Police and was brought back to her hometown. In her statement, she alleged that she was pressured to convert to Islam and was motivated to participate in jihad.
The Prayagraj Police have since formed multiple teams to track down those allegedly involved in the network. Several people are being interrogated, and further investigation is underway. Police have also urged citizens to report similar cases and have assured support and protection for the victim.
In a separate incident reported on May 17, a minor Dalit girl was gangraped in broad daylight in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur by three individuals, including a minor. The attack occurred while the girl was on her way to school. Two of the accused were arrested and the third was detained.
Earlier, in January this year, the Kerala Police arrested two individuals in connection with the sexual assault of an 18-year-old Dalit girl in Pathanamthitta district. One of the accused had started harassing the victim when she was 13, sending obscene messages and pictures. At age 16, he took her to a rubber plantation near Achankottumali and raped her in an uninhabited area, recording the act on his phone. The video was later shown to his friends, who were also involved.
These incidents have raised urgent concerns over a growing pattern of targeted abuse, conversion and exploitation of Dalit minors across states.
