Maharashtra: Coaching institute accused of running grooming ring, forcing minor Hindu girls to wear burka, convert

Priyank Kanoongo, the chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), will be visiting Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar to probe a shocking incident of alleged love Jihad and conversion ring. The incident reported from the Rahuri region of Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district, a minor girl has filed an FIR against eight individuals including her tuition teacher for allegedly trapping her in a love affair and coercing her to convert to Islam. The accused have been identified as Avej Nisar Sheikh, Kaif Sheikh, Sohail Sheikh, Heena Sheikh, Alisha Sheikh, Salim Pathan, Altaf Sheikh, and Shakir Sayyed. The police have already arrested four of the accused, including two women, while others have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act. According to the victim’s complaint, the incident took place in Umbre village, Rahuri, where she and her friends, who were studying in 10th standard, had joined tuition classes at Heena Sheikh’s house in 2021. The situation turned sinister when Heena allowed boys from her community to attend the tuition classes, urging the Hindu girls to befriend them and speak only in Hindi. The victim stated that the boys had no connection to the tuition but were permitted to join by Heena Sheikh. The accused teacher also instructed the girls to adopt Muslim customs, wear burqas, and stop wearing bangles and applying kumkum as ‘tilak’ on their foreheads. Subsequently, one of the accused, Avej, expressed his affection for the victim and gradually started establishing contact with her brother, even coming to her home. The victim claimed that Avej forced her to send him photographs, which he later used to blackmail her. Avej’s sister, Alisha, intervened and persuaded the victim, while Avej continued to pressure her through messages on Instagram, threatening to release her photos if she refused to comply. The victim, meanwhile, overheard Kaif and Sohail discussing plans to abduct her during tuition hours, which prompted her to cut off communication with Avej. However, she remained fearful of disclosing the incident to her family and focused on her exams. The victim eventually filed a complaint on July 26 after another girl from the tuition reported Avej to the police. She revealed the entire ordeal to her parents, leading to the registration of the complaint against the accused individuals. It has now come to light that approximately 3-4 girls from the same tuition faced similar situations, with Avej allegedly trapping them in love affairs and then pressuring them into forced conversions. Furthermore, Heena Sheikh reportedly assisted the boys in obtaining photographs of Hindu girls from the tuition, which were later manipulated and used for blackmail. Upon learning about the case, several social outfits including Legal Rights Observatory and BJP MLA Prasad Lad raised the issue in the State Council, urging the local administration to take action. The activists also blamed local police of helping the accused persons sas they filed a counter FIR of the accused Salim Pathan, who alleged that members of a Hindu organization attacked his workplace and a nearby Masjid. Presently, four of the accused, including Heena Sheikh and Avej, have been arrested based on the victim’s complaint, while 14 Hindu individuals out of 25 mentioned in the counter-complaint have also been taken into custody. Investigations into the matter are ongoing.