In a Love Jihad case from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, a married man named Sabir Khan is accused of blackmailing a Hindu girl to have a friendship with him after his marriage and keeping her hostage for over three years. It is alleged that he blackmailed the victim whenever she tried to run away to her house and threatened to implicate her brother and father by writing a “suicide note”. During her captivity, the accused Sabir Khan physically and sexually harassed her and did unnatural acts. It is further alleged that he forced her to eat beef and pressured her to convert to Islam.
The 27-year-old victim is a resident of Taraganj, Gwalior and she filed a complaint at the Bahodapur police station on Friday (26th April 2024). As per reports, her father earns a living through a tent-related business. The accused Sabir Khan alias Chhote Khan lived near her house and is a married man.
Sabir Khan had first approached the victim in October 2021. Over time, he developed a friendship with her, and they started communicating with each other. Pertinent to note that back then, he was not a married man.
The victim later ended her friendship with him after he got married. However, the accused continued to approach her and began harassing her.
According to the victim, one day Sabir Khan said that if she did not listen to him, he would commit suicide and implicate her father and brother by writing their names on a suicide note. She got scared and felt compelled to start talking to him. One day he called the victim to meet him. Subsequently, when she met him, he asked her to come with him. Fearing for her safety, when the girl refused to go with him, he threatened to kill her.
As per the complainant, Khan forcibly took the victim to Ramaji culvert (Puliya) located in Bahodapur where he sexually harassed her. He kept the girl hostage in his house and prevented her from going to her house by threatening to commit suicide. It is alleged that every day, he used to pressurise her to convert to Islam, and when she refused, he used to physically assault her. He even deprived her of food.
According to the victim, Sabir crossed all limits with her and also did unnatural acts with her many times. She said that Sabir used to pressure her to convert to Islam. He used to say, “If you are living with me, you will have to become a Muslim.” Additionally, she was also forced to eat beef. In her complaint, she said that Sabir’s father Yusuf Khan, and brother Sameer Khan also used to beat her.
A similar incident took place on 25th April when his father and brother forcibly entered the house. Additionally, Sabir’s wife and mother also assaulted her and attempted to kill her but the landlord came in time to save her life. When the accused left, she somehow managed to ran away and reach her home.
Subsequently, with the help of workers of the Hindu Jagran Manch, the victim and her family went to the Bahodapur police station and lodged a complaint. In this case, Bahodapur police station has registered an FIR against Sabir Khan, his father Yusuf Khan, and his brother Sameer Khan. They have booked Sabir Khan under various sections including rape, Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Act 2021, and assault. Currently, all the accused in the case are absconding.
As per reports, the victim had visited the police station a day earlier as well but she returned as there was no female staff in the station at that time.
The Bahodapur Police station in-charge Jitendra Singh Tomrakh said that a case of rape of a girl, a resident of Taraganj, has come to light. The accused also threatened her to do religious conversion, held her hostage, and assaulted her. An FIR has been registered and the search for the accused has been started.
The Hindu Jagran Manch workers have demanded that strict action be taken in this matter and that capital punishment be awarded to the culprits. Highlighting other instances, they demanded that the house of the accused be demolished and a deterence effect be set in this case.