A troubling case of forced conversion transpired in Indore of Madhya Pradesh where Hindu transgenders charged their Muslim peers with pushing them to embrace Islam and stated that they were given injections infected with HIV after they refused to comply. As a result, 60 transgenders contracted HIV.
Hindu transgender leader Sakina Guru took the names of Seema Haji also known as Farzana and Payal alias Naeem Ansari as the prime accused. Out of fear, many Hindu transgenders have become Muslims. Those who remained steadfast in their faith and refused to submit have been subjected to HIV-infected injections. Currently, over 100 such victims are present in Indore.
A formal complaint was submitted to the Chief Justice of India, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Chief Minister’s Office, the District Magistrate and the Police Commissioner.Afterward,, a Special Investigation Team had been established to look into the matter. However, this is not the first instance as over the years, numerous cases have emerged where Muslim transgenders pressurised Hindu members of the community to convert. These instances have been reported from states such as Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh.
Threats of social exclusion
Muslim transgenders intimidated Hindu transgenders to convert to Islam in the Sakri region of Bilaspur district, Chhattisgarh. The victim, Asma disclosed that Raja exerts pressure on them to provide sandalwood and impose charges ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 19,000 for the service. She added that failure to comply results in threats of social ostracism, including physical harm perpetrated by hired thugs. On 6th May, a formal complaint was lodged with the Superintendent of Police regarding the matter.
Assault for conversion
A Muslim transgender compelled Sita, also known as Sapna, to convert to Islam in Kesorpur village of Bibinagar area of Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh. She unveiled that her ustad (leader/teacher) forcibly kept her hostage inside a room and assaulted her after she declined to embrace Islam. She managed to escape from her captor and subsequently filed a First Information Report (FIR) with the police.
Dalit Hindu transgender thrashed brutally
Dalit Hindu transgender Muskan filed a complaint with the police concerning the attempts to convert her and a violent assault. The incident occurred in the jurisdiction of the Mansurpur police station in Muzaffarnagar. She charged that Preeti, Kaushar Ali and Guddu severely thrashed her for refusing to embrace Islam. Additionally, she was obstructed from performing puja-paath. She added that Kaushar Ali introduces himself as Geeta. Preeti, although a Muslim, has a Hindu name. She informed that Preeti was a man who became a transgender following surgery.
Death threats and pressure to become Muslim
A Hindu transgender complained to the authorities that she was being pressured to convert to Islam in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore.. The majority of the transgenders reside in Nandlalpur, an area predominantly inhabited by Muslims and the victim was also forced to live there and participate in namaz. The perpetrators broke into her residence and threatened to kill her upon her refusal. She was even barred from conducting puja-paath.
Pressure on Hindu transgenders to convert, temple removed
Muslim transgenders exerted pressure on Hindu peers to embrace Islam by dismantling a temple, in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur. The latter stated that the accused were roaming in the area, trying to indoctrinate others to convert. The victims then alerted Hindu organizations regarding the matter. The police filed a case against four Muslim transgenders based on the complaint.
Hindu transgenders forced to eat meat and read namaz
Hindu transgenders in the Civil Lines police station vicinity reported that Muslim transgenders summoned thugs to assault them, in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. They pressured the victims to consume meat and perform namaz. Furthermore, they entered Hindu neighborhoods to collect funds. A violent confrontation erupted between the two sides amidst the chaos. The cops rushed to the scene and diffused the tension. An FIR was also launched by them.
Muslim cleric converted Hindu transgender
A transgender was converted by his peer with the assistance of a Maulana (Muslim cleric). The mother of the victim went to the Georgetown police station to file a complaint against the accused. She stated that her child, Pankaj was forcibly made to consume inappropriate substances and was subjected to physical abuse. She revealed that the cleric at Patthar Gali converted her to Islam at the behest of other transgenders.
Eat beef, accept Islam or leave
Hindu transgenders faced pressure to convert to Islam in the Jundla Gharaunda region of Karnal, Haryana. When they protested, they were threatened with expulsion from the houses. They were made to eat beef and other meat. Transgender Jyoti reported that the Muslim transgenders, Abdu Kar Rehman and Abdul Karim also known as Lallu, forcefully entered her residence and verbally assaulted her and her teacher.
Pressure on Hindu transgenders to change religion
Hindu transgenders in the Sector-16 area of Haryana’s Faridabad endured pressure to convert. The victims, Kumkum, Sapna, Radhika, Somya, Saloni and Lovely reported that Guddu, another transgender embraced Islam after which she had been exerting pressure on other Hindu transgenders to follow suit. The Hindus requested protection from the police authorities.
Read the report in Hindi here.