Latest news with #UttarPradeshProhibitionofUnlawfulConversionofReligionAct
The Print
06-08-2025
- The Print
UP woman claims man faked religion to marry, forced her to convert, abort pregnancy; 4 held
The woman alleged that in 2017, she met the man who introduced himself as Vineet Singh and their relationship flourished. Police said they got married in a local temple following Hindu rituals in December that year. According to the woman's complaint, an FIR was registered and an investigation initiated, said Superintendent of Police Vineet Jaiswal. Gonda (UP), Aug 6 (PTI) A man and his three family members have been booked here on the charge of him marrying a woman by concealing his religious identity, forcing her to convert and undergo abortion, police said on Wednesday. She claimed that it later came to the fore that the man's real name was Azam Hasan Sheikh. The complainant stated that the family took her to their home in West Bengal, where the accused man's father, Akbar Ali, mother Rashida, and sister Manuja pressured her to convert. They reportedly took her to a cleric and forced her to convert and solemnise a second marriage under Muslim customs, according to the complaint. After finding out that the woman was pregnant, the family allegedly forced her to undergo an abortion, it added. Superintendent of Police Jaiswal said the woman later managed to escape and return to Gonda, where she received medical treatment and began living with her parents. She further alleged that on July 29, Azam attempted blackmail by threatening her over the phone to leak private photos. He also allegedly contacted her friends, falsely claiming that she had willingly accepted Islam, thereby damaging her social reputation. Based on her complaint, an FIR was registered last Friday against all four named accused under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita along with provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021. An investigation is underway, the police added. PTI COR KIS ANM NSD NSD This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
NDTV
03-08-2025
- NDTV
UP Man Booked For Raping Minor, Pressuring Her To Convert Religion
Budaun: A man here been booked for allegedly raping a minor girl while impersonating as a Hindu, police said on Sunday. Arbaaz is a former hookah bar operator, they said, and is on the run. His hookah bar shut down in 2022. He was booked at Sadar Kotwali Police Station on Saturday at the direction of Senior Superintendent of Police Brijesh Singh. The girl, about 17, in her complaint, alleged that when she first met Arbaaz in July 2022, he introduced himself as Shivam alias Bobby and wore a red thread on his wrist. Over time, he befriended her and took her to Delhi in September 2022, where he allegedly drugged and raped her multiple times, the FIR said. The girl alleged that Arbaaz filmed the assaults and threatened to make the videos public if she did not convert to Islam. The FIR says that several men used to operate from the now-closed hookah bar, allegedly targeting Hindu girls, drugging them, filming them, and blackmailing them for sexual and psychological exploitation. On July 16, this year, Arbaaz allegedly intercepted the girl, assaulted her, and threatened her against pursuing legal action. She approached Sadar Kotwali police, who detained the accused briefly but released him within half an hour, the FIR states. Dissatisfied, the girl submitted a written complaint to the SSP, after which a formal case was registered under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act. Circle officer Rajnish Upadhyay said that Arbaaz was earlier booked under the Gangster Act and was jailed.
Time of India
27-07-2025
- Time of India
Woman raped, forced to convert; 5 held
Bijnor: Five people were arrested for allegedly raping and forcibly trying to convert a 27-year-old woman in Bijnor district, police said on Sunday. The woman also alleged that "the accused were planning to sell her kidney for Rs 50 lakh. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now " In her police complaint, the survivor said she worked at a shop in an area under Nangalsoti police station. Her husband abandoned her about a year ago as he did not like her working till late in the evening, and this led to frequent quarrels between them. Taking advantage of her vulnerable situation, the shop owner offered to arrange accommodation for her at his own expense, and later exploited her sexually. Between Feb and March this year, he and his associates allegedly put pressure on her to embrace Islam. In her police complaint, the survivor said that on Feb 25, the shop owner, accompanied by his wife, brother-in-law and a few others, arrived at her residence and administered some kind of intoxicants and forcibly tried to convert her. The survivor said the main accused also took her to various hospitals in Rishikesh and Delhi, where he contacted some agents and planned to sell her kidney for Rs 50 lakh. When she resisted, she and her five-year-old son was held hostage at a house from Feb through March. She somehow managed to escape from the house in April and remained silent, as the perpetrators threatened to kill her son. On Saturday, the woman gathered the courage to approach police, following which an FIR was filed. Bijnor SP (city) Sanjeev Vajpayee said, "We have registered a case against nine people under BNS sections 64 (rape), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), 109(1) (abetment), 115(2) (kidnapping/attempt to murder), 253 (harbouring offender), and 3(5) (related to grievous offences), as well as sections 3(1) and 5(1) of Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act." "Charges related to illegal organ trade have also been added. Five of the accused, including the main conspirator, have been arrested. Efforts are on to nab the remaining four. A detailed investigation is underway," the SP said.
NDTV
24-07-2025
- NDTV
12-Year-Old Girl Kidnapped, Raped In UP, 5 Charged: Police
Sitapur: A day after a 12-year-old girl here alleged that she was abducted, raped and an attempt was made to forcefully change her religion, police have booked five people, including her minor friend, police said on Thursday. Based on her complaint lodged on Wednesday police have taken one accused, Shah Rukh, into custody. In her complaint, the girl alleged that she was kidnapped by her 15-year-old female friend and her parents, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Durgesh Kumar Singh said. On July 14, she was drugged and taken to Surat on a train by two other perpetrators, including Shah Rukh. She was then raped and the accused attempted to force her into religious conversion, the ASP said. The accused have been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act. She further alleged that the station house officer of Rampur Mathura police station failed to register an FIR when she and her parents first approached police, Mr Singh said. He said the SHO has been transferred to the police lines. Further investigation is underway.
Hindustan Times
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
All India Sunni Ulema Council to draft code of conduct for clerics on religious conversion laws
The All India Sunni Ulema Council, one of the leading bodies of Barelvi clerics, has initiated the process of formulating a code of conduct for religious leaders to ensure a clearer understanding of the laws related to religious conversion. The August meeting of the All India Sunni Ulema Council will span two days and aim to produce a draft code of conduct through detailed deliberations. Once consensus is reached, the draft will be disseminated to clerics at the micro level. (PICTUR E FOR REPRESENTATION) The move comes in the wake of the arrest of Balrampur-based Jalaluddin Shah alias Chhangur Baba, the kingpin of an illegal religious conversion racket, and his associates. The arrest put a renewed focus on conversion practices and the legal sensitivities surrounding them. The All India Sunni Ulema Council, which had earlier supported the legislation on triple talaq, has convened a state-level meeting in August where this issue will be a central point of discussion. Speaking to the press, Council's national general secretary Haji Mohammad Salees stated that the issue of religious conversion is 'highly sensitive' and there is a pressing need to educate clerics—especially those operating at the local mosque level—about the boundaries set by law and Islamic teachings. 'After the Chhangur Baba case, there is a strong realisation that those involved in religious matters and conversions must know what they are permitted to do and what they must refrain from,' Salees said. He emphasised that offering inducements for conversion is not only illegal under Indian law but also un-Islamic. The Council said several amendments have been made to the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, which now includes provisions for imprisonment and stringent penalties. The August meeting will span two days and aim to produce a draft code of conduct through detailed deliberations. Once consensus is reached, the draft will be disseminated to clerics at the micro level. The Council is also considering strategies to improve awareness and compliance. The steps may include organising legal workshops and distributing explanatory literature in simplified language to help clerics better understand their legal and ethical responsibilities. 'This is a matter that requires both clarity and caution,' Salees said. 'We aim to ensure that our clerics are not only law-abiding but also uphold the spirit of Islam.' 'Just as we had led a movement in support of the legislation on triple talaq, a similar campaign will now be undertaken on this issue,' he added.
