Uttar Pradesh man held under anti-conversion law after attempting to set wife, kids afire

Express News Service
LUCKNOW: In a case of attempted forcible conversion in the state capital Lucknow, a Muslim man was arrested for marrying a Hindu girl by hiding his real religious identity and attempting to allegedly burn her and two kids alive when she refused to change religion and did not allow khatna (circumcision as per Islamic tradition) of her son.

As per police sources, the man posed as Rajiv, an orphan, and married a Hindu girl on February 13, 2009. However, his real name was Mohammed Afzal Siddiqui. The girl came to know about his real identity when she moved into his house in Thakurganj area of Lucknow. She lodged several complaints against him with the police but to no avail.

The girl alleged that her husband continued to force her to embrace Islam and used to thrash her on her refusal. Police sources said that the victim claimed that for the past one year, Siddiqui was asking her to have sexual relations with at least seven persons to convert to Islam. But she refused.

Siddiqui then started mounting pressure on the girl for the ritual khatna (circumcision) of their son so that the kids were raised as per Islamic traditions but the girl refused that also.bInfuriated over this, Siddiqui locked the victim and his two kids in a room and poured kerosene and set the room afire to burn all three alive.

The wife, somehow, dialed 112 and sought help. Police and a fire tender were rushed in time to douse the rising flames from the house. She and her kids were saved before the fire engulfed the room.

Siddiqui was arrested by the police on Wednesday. An FIR was registered against him, his parents and a few clerics  under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021 and relevant Sections of the IPC. He was produced before a local court on Friday and sent to 14 days judicial custody.

As per senior police officials, the couple had been having a discord for quite some time. Both had been levelling charges of infidelity against each other. A few days ago, Siddiqui had faced police action for breaching the peace.