The alleged victim’s relatives in Meerut. Source: Amit Mehra The alleged victim’s relatives in Meerut. Source: Amit Mehra

A 20-year-old BA student, a former part-time teacher at a madrasa in Meerut’s Sarawa village, has alleged that she was abducted from her residence, forcibly converted to Islam, and gangraped in another madrasa in Hapur. She has also alleged that she was held captive in a madrasa in Mustafa colony, Muzaffarnagar, for over three days, where she was again reportedly raped, abused and forced to eat fish. The woman claimed she managed to escape on August 3 and reached Meerut, after which she reported the matter to the police.

The woman also claimed that she met other women at the madrasa in Muzaffarnagar, who were being held captive before being sent to Dubai.

The woman alleged a cleric, identified as Sataullah, had often asked her to convert to Islam in the past and told her he would get her a job in Dubai if she converted. The woman also named the village pradhan, Nawab, Sataullah’s wife Samar Jaan and one Nishat for their alleged role in the conspiracy.

Based on the complaint, the UP police registered a case of kidnapping, gangrape, outraging religious feelings of any class and criminal intimidation against the accused. Nawab, Nishat and Samar Jaan have been arrested, while the main accused, Sataullah, is still at large, police said.

Speaking to The Indian Express, the alleged victim’s father said his daughter used to work at the madrasa to support her family financially, but she left the job after Sataullah started forcing her to convert. “Our daughter returned home on Sunday morning and narrated the episode to us. She told us that on July 23, she was kidnapped by Nawab and Sataullah, who took her to their house for the night. The next morning at 4 am, Samar Jaan gave her a veil and took her to Hapur, where she was gangraped and thrashed. She was then released and asked to go home. She was threatened and asked to keep quiet. When she came home on July 27, she did not tell us anything,” he alleged. “She later told us the maulvis had forced her to send an SMS from her phone saying she was going for a college trip and would be back in three days,” he added.

The woman further alleged that she was kidnapped again on July 29 and taken to another madrasa on Garh Road in Meerut, where she was forcibly converted and raped again. She alleged that on July 30, she was taken to a madrasa in Muzaffarnagar, where she was confined for three days. “She was raped, thrashed and forced to eat fish. She told us she met other Hindu girls at the madrasa who were also being converted. The maulvis told her they would get them married to Sheikhs and send them to Dubai,” her father alleged.

The victim claimed she was forced to sign an affidavit in Muzaffarnagar. “They made her keep a Muslim name. She told us the other women were also signing affidavits for visa applications and passports. On Sunday morning, she managed to flee from the back gate and boarded a bus to the village. She borrowed a phone from someone and called us, asking us to pick her up from the bus stop,” her father claimed.

The father alleged that she had stitches on her stomach and bruises on her arms and face when she returned. “The maulvis forced her to undergo a surgery. She told us she was bleeding and the men took her to the hospital for a surgery. Since she was in a veil, she does not know which hospital they took her to,” he alleged.

As the news spread on Sunday night, incidents of stone pelting were reported from Meerut. On Monday, VHP and Bajrang Dal activists staged a protest outside the collectorate, where the victim was appearing before the magistrate, and demanded stern action against the accused named by her father in the complaint. A delegation of local BJP leaders also met district commissioner Bhupendra Singh in the morning and submitted a memorandum seeking strict action against the accused. The party leaders blamed the Akhilesh Yadav-led government for such incidents.

The police assured the situation in the district was under control.

According to sources, the police conducted a raid at the madrasas where the victim claimed the other women were confined, but found them locked.

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