In yet another case highlighting the organized misuse of religious authority to facilitate unlawful conversions, police have arrested an Islamist cleric, Maulvi, who officiated the nikah of a village woman after she was allegedly lured away and forcibly converted.
According to the Station House Officer of Majhgawan Police Station, Ashutosh Singh, the incident dates back to August, when a young Hindu woman from a village under the station’s jurisdiction was allegedly deceived and taken away by Gullu, a resident of Belatal in Mahoba district. During this period, the woman was reportedly subjected to Islamic religious conversion and married off in Belatal (Jaitpur).
As per Jagran reports, police investigations revealed that the nikah was solemnized by Jabbar, also known as Hafiz and Maulvi, whose role went beyond mere officiation and directly facilitated the illegal conversion and marriage. He was subsequently named as an accused in the case and had been evading arrest.
Earlier, the prime accused, Gullu, was arrested under Sections 3 and 5 of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act. On Monday, police finally arrested Jabbar, alias Hafiz, alias Maulvi, and sent him to judicial custody.
This case once again exposes how religious functionaries are allegedly being used as key enablers in deceptive conversion rackets, particularly targeting young women from rural Hindu backgrounds. It also underscores the necessity of strict enforcement of anti-conversion laws to deter such coordinated and predatory practices.
Despite the existence of stringent anti-religious conversion laws, incidents such as this underline a disturbing reality: the enactment of legislation alone has not succeeded in deterring sections of Islamist networks that continue to operate with a predatory and exploitative mindset toward Hindu women. The persistence of these patterns raises serious questions about ideological rigidity, lack of reform, and the continued targeting of Hindu communities under the guise of faith and marriage. Strong, consistent legal action is the only deterrent capable of breaking this cycle.
