Sahaya Novinston Lobo By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: In a case reminiscent of Hadiya’s, a man, alleged by his father to have been forcibly converted and radicalised, may have converted to Islam willingly, but for love. J ithender Ghisaram, 26, a Rajasthan native, reportedly went missing on May 2. His father, Tejaram, filed missing person and theft complaints at Bilara police station in Jodhpur. The Bilara police’s probe led them to Chennai where they are learnt to have questioned, for five hours, a woman from Kotturpuram, with assistance of local cops. Tejaram has alleged his son was forcibly converted and radicalised. But, police reportedly believe he converted for love.

Jithender had gone missing last year as well. Tejaram had filed a missing person complaint on January 1, 2017 at Manimangalam police station, Kancheepuram. At the time the family lived in Chennai and Jithender worked with his father at a textile shop in Padappai.

Chennai police reportedly learnt he had fallen in love with a 23-year-old Muslim woman after graduating from SRM college. “Police found he had contacted her frequently and interrogated her. However, she said she did not know anything about him,” said a Chennai police officer. But police said they found she helped Jithender move to Maharashtra to attend classes on Islam at Ahmednagar. Jithender was found on March 15, 2018. By then he had converted and changed his name to Mohammed Islam Raza. He was handed over to his family.

‘Tejaram shifted family to Raj to prevent him from reconversion’

It was to prevent Jithender Ghisaram from leaving again that Tejaram shifted his family to Rajasthan on April 11, 2018, a Chennai police officer said. At Rajasthan, Tejaram reportedly had his son re-converted to Hinduism. But Jithender went missing again on May 2.

“Jithendar had voluntarily gone to Ahmednagar and converted to a Muslim in order to marry the woman he loved. Though his father claims that he was forcefully converted and was given training in some extremist groups, his claims are baseless and only after Jithendar is found can we come to a conclusion,” a Chennai police officer said.

This seems reminiscent of the Hadiya case in which a young woman from Kerala converted to Islam and married a Muslim man, decisions that were challenged by her father in the Kerala High Court which annulled the marriage. Finally a Supreme Court judgment resolved the matter in Hadiya’s favour.

However, on May 8, the Mid-day newspaper in Mumbai published an article in which Jithender is quoted as saying he legally changed his name to Mohammed Islam Raza and converted out of his own interest.

“...around two years ago, my attraction to Islam reached such a level that I just wanted to convert and become a practising Muslim. On January 6, 2017, I arrived in Mumbai with the sole purpose of converting to Islam,” he is quoted as saying.

Similar to Hadiya case?

The case seems reminiscent of the Hadiya case in which a young woman from Kerala converted to Islam and married a Muslim man, decisions that were challenged by her father