UP: Shahnawaz forcibly applied Sindoor to a Dalit woman, blackmailed and sexually exploited her after she refused to recite ‘kalma’ & convert

A Dalit woman from Lucknow’s Malihabad area has accused a man identified as Shahnawaz of forcibly applying sindoor to her, photographing the act and later using the photograph to blackmail and sexually exploit her. She has also alleged that she was pressured to recite kalma and convert to Islam.

 

 

The woman says she first came in contact with Shahnawaz in 2020-21, when she was studying in Class 11.

 

On January 1, 2021, Shahnawaz approached her while she was outside her house. He forcibly applied sindoor to the parting of her hair and photographed the incident.

 

The photograph, she says, later became a means of controlling and threatening her.

 

After taking the photograph, Shahnawaz threatened to make it public. The woman says he used the photograph to blackmail and intimidate her. The threats continued and that she was sexually exploited by him on multiple occasions.

 

The woman has also said that Shahnawaz subjected her to caste-based abuse during this period.

 

 

 

The woman further alleges that Shahnawaz pressured her to leave Hindu dharma and recite kalma.

 

When she refused, he continued threatening her and used the photograph to put pressure on her.

 

She has also alleged that the issue eventually extended to her family, with pressure being placed on them over her refusal to convert.

 

 

The woman has also named two associates of Shahnawaz, identified as Siraj and Shahrukh.

 

She alleges that the two men came to her house after her family objected to Shahnawaz's actions. They abused and threatened her family.

 

The woman further alleges that they told her family that a cleric would be brought to facilitate her conversion. Her family was threatened with serious consequences if she refused to convert.

 

The woman approached Malihabad police and submitted her complaint on September 22, more than five years after the incident involving the forced application of sindoor.

 

Police are also examining differing claims made by the woman's mother.

 

 

 

Another controversy has emerged in Mathura, where a young Hindu woman’s elopement with Mustaq Khan has led to tension in Mukhrai village.

 

Mustaq Khan took the woman from neighbouring Basonti village and has remained untraced for several days, leading police to search for him. The incident has also led to protests and increased police deployment in the area.

 

The Mathura case has drawn further attention because villagers have raised allegations of repeated interfaith relationships involving the same family.

 

Mustaq Khan’s elder brother Salman Khan has been accused of living separately from his wife and staying with another woman for nearly a year.

 

The allegations have triggered discussions and tension in the village. Police are examining the complaints and circumstances surrounding the cases.