Uttar Pradesh doctor held under anti-religious conversion case six years after marriage

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Ghaziabad Police in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday arrested a 42-year-old doctor for marrying a fellow medico of different faith by allegedly deceiving her. The police charged him under the provisions of the Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, officials said.

The couple married six years ago and have a son, news agency PTI reported. The first information report (FIR) against Abdur Rahman was registered at Kotwali Police Station on the complaint of the woman's mother on August 13.

The accused and the complainant's daughter, Harsha Sarangi, got acquainted with each other while working at a private hospital in Noida in Uttar Pradesh, the police said.

According to Sarangi's mother, the accused pretended to adopt Hinduism so that he could convince the complainant's daughter for marriage, she alleged. The couple got married at an Arya Samaj temple in Uttar Pradesh on October 15, 2018. However, the accused continued to follow Islam and also gave the couple's son, born in June 2021, a Muslim name, the complaint by Sarangi's mother stated.

"After 11 months of his acquaintance with the lady doctor, Rahman converted and became Hindu with an intention to deceive her," Ghaziabad City Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajesh Kumar Singh said.

"The FIR in the case was lodged at Kotwali Police Station on August 13 after Sangvika Sarangi, the lady doctor's mother, alleged that her daughter was burnt by Rahman, for which she underwent treatment in a hospital in Delhi," he added.

However, Rahman refuted the allegation and claimed that the doctor sustained burns when she was preparing tea at his flat in Noida, the officer said.

"During the investigation, the police found that Rahman had adopted the Hindu religion only for marriage. He never followed the Hindu religion full heartedly. In June 2021, the couple became parents to a boy. Rahman gave him a Muslim name and also got the child circumcised," the DCP said.

Sangvika Sarangi alleged in her complaint that Rahman had befriended her daughter as a part of the 'love jihad' conspiracy, Singh added.

The accused has been booked under the provisions of Uttar Pradesh's Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, as well as the Indian Penal Code sections 326 (causing grievous hurt) and 420 (cheating).

(With PTI inputs)