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Sikhs in Afghanistan under the Taliban have two options to remain alive, convert to Islam or flee the country

OpIndia Staff
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Sikhs in Afghanistan under the Taliban have two options to remain alive, convert to Islam or flee the country

Months after the Taliban took over the power in Afghanistan, now Sikhs in the country are on the verge of being forcefully converted to Islam or killed under the Taliban regime, according to a report. As a result, the Sikhs in the country are left with two options to choose from, convert to Islam or flee the country to avoid getting killed.

International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS) has reported that since the Sikh community do not belong to the mainstream Sunni Islam, they would be either forcefully converted to Sunni Islam or be killed by the Taliban. According to the report, the Taliban ‘government’ would never give space for diversity to flourish and the imposition of the Islamic code with tribal customs would annihilate the existing minority sects of Afghanistan, which also include the Sikhs.

Sikhs have been living in miserable conditions in Afghanistan even before or without the Taliban, and the Afghanistan government had failed to protect them. Most of the Sikh homes were captured by the powerful warlords in the 1990s.

A few days back, Islamic radicals from a ‘special unit’ in Afghanistan had forcibly entered Gurudwara Dashmesh Pita at Karte Parwan, Kabul, Afghanistan. the President of Indian World Forum, Puneet Singh Chandhok informed in a statement that Islamic radicals desecrated the Gurudwara.

Chandok had said, “Today heavily armed officials claiming to be from Spl Unit of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan forcibly entered Gurdwara Dashmesh Pita at Karte Parwan, Kabul. They intimidated the community at gurdwara & abused sanctity of holy place”.

In August after the takeover of the country by the Taliban, a large number of Sikhs were evacuated to India by the Indian govt.

Last Year, armed terrorists had attacked a Gurudwara in Shor Bazar Area of Afghanistan killing Twenty-eight people. The Islamic State had claimed responsibility for the attack. The terrorist ‘Abu Khalid al-Hindi’ was identified as an Indian National who was responsible for the attack in order to avenge the supposed ‘plight of Muslims in Kashmir’.

IFRAS claimed that many Sikhs left Afghanistan for India after the massacre of the Sikhs in 2020. It also said that Sikhs are against the hardline ideology of the Sunni sect and because of that they are either forcibly converted to Islam or they are murdered.

FIR filed against 7, including Salman of The Live TV, for spreading falsehoods against Sudarshan TV chief Suresh Chavhanke: Details of the case

OpIndia Staff
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FIR filed against 7, including Salman of The Live TV, for spreading falsehoods against Sudarshan TV chief Suresh Chavhanke: Details of the case

An FIR has been filed against a man named Salman for deliberately spreading lies and canards against Sudarshan TV Editor-in-chief Suresh Chavhanke through his YouTube channel The Live TV. 

Besides Salman, 6 others have also been named in the FIR filed on the basis of a complaint lodged by Suresh Chavhanke. These include Online News India, Desh Live, Hyderabadi Talks, Bolta Bharat, Viral Entertainment and Loktantra TV. They have been charged under Section 499, 500, 120-B of the Indian Penal Code and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2008. 

Copy of FIR(Source: Sudarshan News)

Earlier this month, Salman had uploaded a video on his YouTube channel alleging that the Editor in Chief of Sudarshan TV was beaten up by a mob. The claim was instantly lapped up by left-leaning trolls who amplified the claim that Suresh Chavhanke was at the receiving end of thrashings by an indignant bunch of people. 

Suresh Chavhanke promises to hold fake news peddlers to account

The assertion was vigorously refuted by Suresh Chavhanke, who vowed to take legal action against those who were promoting unfounded rumours of him getting roughed up by a mob. Chavhanke had then taken to Twitter to assert that the video being shared online was years old and maliciously edited to malign him. 

In a Tweet (in Hindi), he wrote, “This news is completely fake. The video of the years-old demonstration is being cut and made viral with claims that it was shot among the farmers. Nothing like this has ever happened in my life. Abhisar Sharma videos are on this channel. The owner is Salman. I will take legal action against whoever spreads this.”

Shortly after Chavhanke warned of legal repercussions, the video was deleted from the channel but not before a raft of social media trolls downloaded it and re-uploaded it on various platforms. The video was also shared by verified accounts, including the official Facebook page of Uttarakhand Youth Congress.

Dabur promotes lesbian Karwa Chauth, gets slammed by LGBT community for promoting ‘regressive’ ideas and product

OpIndia Staff
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Dabur promotes lesbian Karwa Chauth, gets slammed by LGBT community for promoting ‘regressive’ ideas and product

Festival season is generally a profitable period of time for brands and organisations. As consumers go out on a shopping spree to mark the festivities, companies cash in on this festive season by either launching new products or by marketing their existing lineup with commercials that set the brand apart from its competition. 

However, on many occasions, this time-tested hack of attracting eyeballs backfires when companies fail to factor in the sensitivities of the people. For instance, Fab India was on the receiving end of criticism for referring to Diwali as Jashn-e-Riwaaz in their social media posts. Although they tried to distance themselves from the quagmire, the damage was done.

More recently, Dabur has found itself in a similar predicament after it rolled out a new advertisement that promoted lesbian Karwa Chauth. In its latest commercial for Dabur’s bleaching product, two women, ostensibly a couple, are seen decking up for what seemed like their first Karwa Chauth and therefore, indulging in makeup and other face cleansing products. Later, an elderly woman is seen giving them festive clothes to wear on the occasion as the two discuss their reasons for keeping the ‘Karwa Chauth’ fast. 

Subsequently, the ad then shows the two women holding up sieves and decorating thalis in front of them, making it clear that they are observing the festival for each other. While the advertisement was meant as an effort to mainstream same-sex relationships, the commercial did not sit well with the LGBTQ community for promoting a “regressive” idea. Those who were pleased with the idea of promoting the Hindu ritual of ‘Karwa Chauth’, took offence with the brand for catering to the fair skin syndrome that is so pervasive in the Indian society. 

LGBTQ community slam Dabur for using queer representatives to promote a ‘regressive’ ritual and racist product

A Twitter user said there’s no point of LGBTQ pride when the advertisement endorsed “colourism” and a “patriarchal tradition”. 

Ranting against the traditional Hindu festival of ‘Karwa Chauth’, another Twitter user admonished the company for using the queer community to promote a “stupid regressive” festival.

Still another Twitter user, who identified herself with the LGBTQ community, said she does not want such kinds of queer representatives who promote “patriarchal tradition” and colourism. 

“Now who told you using lesbians to promote your colourist and brahminical tradition propaganda is representation,” said another Twitter user who seemed offended by the advertisement. 

One Twitter user said fairness products are inherently racist and adding an LGBTQ angle to it won’t change it. 

While the advertisement was meant to celebrate same-sex relationships, it ended up offending the LGBTQ community, who directed their ire on the Hindu festival of Karwa Chauth and branded it as a regressive tradition. This is not the first time that Karwa Chauth has been run down with disdain and contempt. Over the years, the left-leaning liberals have missed no opportunity to denigrate Karwa Chauth as a festival promoting patriarchy. By contrast, they maintain a deafening silence when it comes to calling out traditions of other religions that are patently racist, misogynist and regressive.

NCPCR asks Odisha police to probe alleged sexual exploitation of students in a school where teacher Mamita Meher was found murdered

OpIndia Staff
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NCPCR asks Odisha police to probe alleged sexual exploitation of students in a school where teacher Mamita Meher was found murdered

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has written to the Superintendent of Police, Balangir, Odisha, asking for a high-level probe into the alleged exploitation of girls in a school in Odisha after a teacher of the school was found murdered. A 24-year-old teacher named Mamita Meher had gone missing on October 8 in Odisha’s Kalahandi district, and was found dead after a few days. It has been alleged that she was killed because she was about to expose a racket of sexual exploitation of girls in the school by some powerful people. The child rights committee has ordered the SP to launch an investigation into Govind Sahu, a close aide of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leaders, who is accused of operating the sex racket in the school where Mamita Meher was the principal.

According to the NCPCR letter, Govind Sahu used to sexually exploit girls of the school in a separate room. Sahu used to lure the girls by promising good marks in examinations, and BJD leader Dibyashanakr Mishra used to visit the school frequently. NCPCR also says girls, as well as boys, were targeted in the exploration.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has taken cognisance of the matter after a Delhi based activist group Kalinga Rights Forum (KRF) filed a complaint against the alleged sex racket being operated in the school in Odisha and the murder of the school principal Mamita Meher.

In its letter, NCPCR asked the police to initiate an inquiry under the relevant sections of the POCSO Act. Asking to ensure that the identity of the victims is not disclosed during the process of investigation, the child rights body asked the SP to submit the following details within 5 days from receiving the letter:

  1. Copy of FIR and copy of MLR
  2. Copy of the statement of the victim
  3. Copy of orders of CWC in respect to the case
  4. Action taken against the accused
  5. How many girls/ boys are studying in the school
  6. Whether involvemnet of school authorities was found in the case?
  7. Age group of boys and girls who were sexually exploited
The copy of the letter written by NCPCR to the Superintendent of Police, Balangir, Odisha

Delhi based activist group writes to NCPCR

It may be noted that the Delhi based activist group had on October 21, brought the matter to the notice by posting about the same on its official Twitter handle. Sharing pictures of the trending hashtag #justiceforMamita, Kalinga Rights Forum had asked NCPCR to launch a high-level probe and send a fact team to probe the alleged sexual exploitation of girls in Sunshine Public School Mahaling, Bolangir Odisha by its owner Govind Sahu, which led to the murder of Principal Mamita Meher when she threatened to expose the racket.

The activist group had also asked for an independent probe into the role of BJD ministers MoS Home Dept Shri Dibyashankar Mishra, Minister Pratap Jena and others and their connection with the Govind Sahu in the whole incident.

The murder case of Mamita Meher in Odisha

In Odisha’s Kalahandi district, a 24-year-old teacher named Mamita Meher had gone missing on October 8. On October 19, a badly charred and decomposed corpse of a woman was found buried in an under-construction stadium that is owned by the same institution where the teacher worked.

The case has created a political storm in the state. Accusations have been hurled at Dibyashankar Mishra, a BJD Minister and MLA of the same constituency where the incident has occurred. Both BJP and Congress have called for protests in the state.

It is notable that the schoolteacher Mamita Meher was also the warden of the Girls’ hostel run by the Mahaling institution. There are some reports claiming that Mamita was on the verge of exposing an alleged sex racket running in the school before she suddenly disappeared.

Govind Sahu, the main accused in the Mamita Meher disappearance and murder case, was nabbed and was under the custody of Titilagarh police when he escaped on October 17. The escape of the main accused has further irked the public and political opposition. Sahu was later arrested from Budhipadar in Bangomunda block, Balangir district on October 19.

Govind Sahu is the Management Committee president of the school where Mamita worked. As per reports, Sahu had called Mamita to come and meet him on the day she went missing. Reports say that Sahu and some other persons were allegedly sexually exploiting some women employees and Mamita had threatened to expose it.

Sahu is reportedly close to minister Minister Dibyashanakr Mishra. He had been involved in government projects and had also got grants from MPLAD and MLALAD funds.

Protests and mob attacks by radical Islamist Tehreek-i-Labbaik in Pakistan left 3 policemen dead and several injured

OpIndia Staff
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Protests and mob attacks by radical Islamist Tehreek-i-Labbaik in Pakistan left 3 policemen dead and several injured

Three Pakistani police officials were killed and several injured after a violent mob of angry protesters clashed with the Lahore police on Friday. According to reports, workers of the banned outfit Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) were involved in the violence in which petrol bombs were hurled and stones pelted on officials.

Lahore DIG (Operation) Spokesperson Mazhar Hussain said two officials named Ayub and Khalid died in the attack. The identity of the third official has not been confirmed yet. Reportedly, the officials were attacked by a moving vehicle as thousands of protesters moved in the eastern city of Lahore for a march towards the capital Islamabad.

According to the Lahore DIG Hussain, the angry mob also hurled petrol bombs on the officials. Hussain claimed that the mob even used sticks and pelted stones. Police spokesman Arif Rana informed that the police fired tear gas when TLP supporters attacked a security checkpoint. As per reports, internet services were also suspended in several parts of Lahore after the attack.

A spokesman from the banned group TLP claimed that the ‘activists’ witnessed severe shelling during the attack and were surrounded near the Mao College bridge. At least 500 workers were wounded and several died.

Thousands of TLP members participated in the so-called event called “Long March” in Lahore where the workers of the banned outfit planned to make a long walk to Islamabad, located 300 kilometres away. The protestors aimed to reach Islamabad and pressure the Pakistani government to free their leader, Saad Rizvi, from prison.

Rizvi was detained under anti-terrorism laws last year after violent protests broke out in Pakistan over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad published in a France magazine. TLP was banned by the Pakistani government after the protests.

It is important to note that TLP is a radical Islamist party that was founded in 2015 to prevent any changes to the existing blasphemy law in the country. Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi was the founder of the party who was also a radical Islamic cleric. After his death in November 2020, his son Saad Hussain became the successor of the party.

How Dravidian separatists have proved themselves to be modern-day Nazis with the words they use for Tamil Brahmins

Suren
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How Dravidian separatists have proved themselves to be modern-day Nazis with the words they use for Tamil Brahmins

Tamil Brahmins have been compared with Jews often in public discourse. What has been missing from public debate, however, is the characterization of Tamil Brahmins as a race similar to Jews by members of the Dravidian movement. The typical word to describe Brahmins is ‘Aryans’ and the 2019, 2021 elections were described by the DMK propaganda arms as an ‘Aryan-Dravidian War’. So, given that the Dravidian movement sets itself up as the bete noire of Brahmins, what have their ideological pronouncements been?

In July 2021, Varavanai Senthil, Senior Editor at Kalaignar News, the official party channel of the DMK, raised eyebrows when he responded to the demand for Kongu Nadu with the comment- ‘Brahmins have not undergone the sufferings of Jews’.

Tweet by journalist Varavanai Senthil

In May 2021, he had claimed that Tamil Brahmins have had a higher rate of Covid-19 vaccination, relatively, while all Jews had got themselves vaccinated against Covid-19.

Tweet by journalist Varavanai Senthil

While this may have raised eyebrows, the comparison is far older than Mr Senthil himself.

Here is an excerpt from C N Annadurai’s biography. 

Excerpt from C N Annadurai’s biography

This is of a piece with the ideological father of the DMK, ‘Periyar’ E V Ramasamy’s writings. In an essay written in his magazine Kuti Arasu, in 1938, Ramasamy wrote:

“What is the difference between Jews referring to themselves as God’s chosen people and to Brahmins claiming they were born from the face of God? Jews use incense, lamps and bells in their worship, much as Brahmins do.

Jews stay aloof from others and so do Brahmins. Jews have no State of their own and have no loyalty to any country. You will find the same rootless attitude among Brahmins, too.

Both Brahmins and Jews look for making comfortable lives for themselves without engaging in hard work. Jews, for their own benefit, will somehow get close to the rulers, manipulate them and make common people suffer. In the same way, Brahmins will never take responsibility, will get a share in the rule and will create privileges for themselves. Brahmins and Jews use irrational fairy tales and stories of miraculous happenings to manipulate common people. 

They both use class differences, create disunity among national races and are thus of the same nature.

In fact, have you noticed the similarity of Jews and Brahmins in looks and skin colour? There must be research done to study the possibility of common descent”

In Rajmohan Gandhi’s biography of Rajaji, he mentions the arrest of EV Ramasamy and subsequent rallies held by the Kumararajah of Chettinad. Special note is to be made of the dehumanizing language and comparison to Jews.

Rajmohan Gandhi’s biography of Rajaji

Epilogue

If the Dravidian movement consistently has referred to Tamil Brahmins as the Jews of India and portrayed itself as the enemy of Brahminism, aka Brahmins, it must follow that the Dravidians are the self-professed Nazis of India. One wonders how such a self-described organization continues to exist in the centre of politics of a large nation such as India in the 21st Century.

References
  1. Kannan, R. (2010). ANNA: LIFE AND TIMES OF C.N. ANNADURAI. India: Penguin Books Limited.
  2. Gandhi, Rajmohan (2010). Rajaji: A Life. India: Penguin Books Limited. – page 197
  3. The First Complete Biography of Periyar E V Ramasamy, S.Karunanandam.

(Note: This article would never have been written but for the in-depth research of the two Twitter handles – @ssaikuma and @realitycheckind. The author thanks them for their generous sharing of content and references in public).

Only Hindus can be employed in colleges funded by Hindu temples, Tamil Nadu govt tells Madras High Court over Muslim man’s petition

OpIndia Staff
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Only Hindus can be employed in colleges funded by Hindu temples, Tamil Nadu govt tells Madras High Court over Muslim man’s petition

On Friday (October 23), the Tamil Nadu government informed the Madras High Court that only Hindu staff can be recruited in educational institutions that are fully financed by Hindu temples, reported The Times of India. The development comes after a writ petition was filed in the Court by a 37-year-old Muslim man A. Suhail challenging the appointment of only Hindus to teaching as well as non-teaching posts at the Arulmigu Kapaleeswarar Arts and Science College in Chennai.

While arguing the case before the Madras High Court, the State advocate general R Shunmugasundaram clarified that the recruitment of non-Hindus in educational institutions run by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department was prohibited under the HR&CE Act. Justice C Saravanan had accepted the petition of Suhail and directed the Tamil Nadu government to file a counter to his petition. Suhail had alleged that he was not allowed for a walk-in interview for the post of office assistant. 

In his petition, he argued, “It is a Constitutional mandate that a state cannot discriminate on the ground of religion…The term specific endowment will not include an educational institution where no religious instruction can be taught to the students. It is clear from the preamble to the Constitution that the state is secular and it cannot choose any religion and undertake to spread the ideologies of the particular religion.” Suhail had claimed that the mandate of the HR&CE Act applied only to temples or Departments involving the affairs of the religion and was not applicable to the post of office assistant of an educational institute.

‘Hindu’ is just a way of life so Muslims and Christians should not be stopped from getting Hindu-only jobs: Petitioner

The petitioner cited the remarks made by the Supreme Court on what constituted being a Hindu. He said the top court had said the word ‘Hindu’ did not denote any religion but a way of life. Pointing out this line of argument by the apex court, the litigant questioned on what basis the respondent authorities could decide the candidate as a Hindu.

Therefore, Suhail stated that the HR & CE Department could not prevent Indian Muslims or Christians or any others from applying and getting selected for various posts at the said college.  He also stated that religious institution as defined in section 6(18) of the HR& CE Act meant only Math or Temples or specific endowment which included institutions maintained for a religious purpose. The petitioner further alleged that he could not approach the court before the conduct of the interview since the court was closed for Dussehra vacation.


Jammu and Kashmir: Security agencies set up drone grid to monitor localities with minority populations to prevent terror attacks

OpIndia Staff
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Jammu and Kashmir: Security agencies set up drone grid to monitor localities with minority populations to prevent terror attacks

Security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) have decided to enhance the security of localities of minority populations through a drone grid, a drone-based surveillance system. The decision has been taken in the wake of a spate of killings of civilians by Pakistani-supported Islamic terrorists who are especially targeting non-Kashmiri Hindu and Sikh minorities.

As the Union Minister of Home and Affairs, Amit Shah is on a three-day visit to the Valley, security agencies have made an elaborate long-term security bandobast with twin objectives to neutralize terrorists and to protect civilians.   

DIG of CRPF (Operation) Mathew A John confirmed the deployment of a new surveillance system in the areas where minorities live. “The step has been taken in the spate of attacks on the minority community members and migrant labourers,” CRPF DIG told the media.

The decision for a dedicated drone grid, as the system is named, was taken after security agencies huddled in a closed-door meeting to give a befitting reply to terrorists and to ensure the safety of minorities. Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Jammu and Kashmir Police will jointly carry air surveillance through drones in as many as 15 identified pockets in the Valley which has the maximum concentration of the minority population. These minority pockets are mainly located in Srinagar as well as Lal Chowk. Other security agencies too will have key stakes and responsibilities in the new system in saving the life of civilians in the Valley, both Kashmiri and non-Kashmiri.    

The testing of the drone grid has already been started as security personnel were seen flying drones in the Pratap Park area.

A CRPF personnel testing drone in Srinagar. Image source Times of India

A control room is being set up by the J&K Police for round-the-clock surveillance. The moment the control room spots suspicious moments of persons in these areas, it will red flag security personnel on the ground with coordinates for action.

This move is expected to instil confidence in civilians and it will be able to stop any surprise dastardly attack on minorities by Islamist terrorists. Pakistan is desperately trying to revive terrorism in the valley where so far 12 civilians have been killed. Security forces neutralized 14 Islamic terrorists whereas nine security personnel also died.

Samajwadi party worker Adnan Khan threatens Hindus, abuses Hindu women in vile language, arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Samajwadi party worker Adnan Khan threatens Hindus, abuses Hindu women in vile language, arrested

Adnan Khan, a Samajwadi Party worker, has been arrested after threatening Hindus on Facebook and abusing Hindu women in vile language. Ambedkarnagar Police informed on Twitter that he has been arrested is being interrogated over the matter.

Source: Twitter

Adnan Khan said in the contentious Facebook post that Hindus will be arrested when Akhilesh Yadav comes to power and Yogi Adityanath will be left ringing bells. He then proceeded to abuse Hindu women and said those who worship animals will remain animals.

Khan ended his post with ‘Jai Akhilesh Yadav’, ‘Jai Samajwad’ and ‘Mulayam Zindabad’.

The controversial post by Khan (Source: @go4avinash/Twitter)

Adnan Khan has claimed this Facebook account was hacked and has submitted a complaint in that regard. He claims that the contentious post was made by the person who allegedly hacked his account.

Source: Adnan Khan/Facebook

70 people were tagged in the Facebook post that has gotten Adnan Khan in trouble. Ambedkarnagar Police informed that he has been arrested after Twitter user Avinash Srivastava asked what action had been taken against the Samajwadi Party worker for the post.

It is not the first time that Samajwadi Party workers have demonstrated such a problematic mindset. In July, pro-Pakistan slogans were raised at one of their rallies in Agra in the presence of district president Wajid Nisar.

Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had also courted controversy after speaking against the state police’s action against Al Qaeda suspects.

Ghaziabad Grooming Jihad: Sahil Khan turns Sahil Singh to lure Hindu girl into marriage, issues death threat for refusing to embrace Islam

OpIndia Staff
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Ghaziabad Grooming Jihad: Sahil Khan turns Sahil Singh to lure Hindu girl into marriage, issues death threat for refusing to embrace Islam

Despite the passage of a stringent law to curb the menace of grooming jihad, there seems to be no end to the malaise afflicting the society. Recently, a case of grooming jihad has been reported in Sahibabad area of Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, where a Muslim man assumed a Hindu identity by tying a Kalava on his hand and sporting a tilak on his forehead to lure a Hindu girl into marrying him.

The man scrupulously concealed his Muslim identity but one day, his wife accidentally caught him offering namaz in their house. Perplexed by the site of her husband praying like a Muslim, she inquired with him the reason for the same. She was aghast to find that her husband was not a Hindu as he had portrayed before the marriage and instead was a devout Muslim. 

After she came to know that she had been tricked into marrying a Muslim man, the woman tried to bring an end to the relationship. However, her husband refused to budge and instead pressurized the woman to convert her religion. When the woman refused to do so, the accused demanded money from her and threatened to kill her. 

Scared of her predicament, the victim rushed to the Sahibabad police station in Ghaziabad and filed a complaint against her husband. Besides accusing her husband of cheating, the woman has also accused him of sexually assaulting her. 

The police have launched an investigation into the case by registering a case of cheating against the accused. In her complaint, the victim has alleged that her husband, Sahil Khan, had furnished fake documents to pose himself as a Hindu man, Sahil Singh, and entrapped her in a love relationship before marrying her. Khan is on the run and the police have launched a manhunt to nab the accused. 

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