A case of grooming jihad has come to light in Madhya Pradesh. A man named Sohail Mansuri alias Sunny has been arrested by Madhya Pradesh Police under Freedom of Religion Ordinance 2020 based on the complaint filed by a 22-year-old woman from Barwani.
As per the complaint, Sohail, who is already married and is the father of a child, sexually abused her for four years while keeping his real identity a secret.
When his real identity was revealed, he started pressurizing her to change religion for marriage.
Mansuri has been booked under sections 376 (rape), 506 (criminal intimidation), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 294 (obscene act) of the Indian Penal Code and Freedom of Religion Ordinance 2020.
The woman met Sohail in a wedding four years ago
In her complaint, the woman said that she met Sohail four years ago in Palsud town of Barwani district that is located around 170 KM from Indore. He works as a driver but also plays music at parties and events.
Barwani Station in-charge Rajesh Yadav has informed that as per the complaint, Sohail had introduced himself as Sunny and claimed he belonged to the victim’s own community. “They exchanged mobile numbers. Very soon, they entered into a relationship. He established physical relations with the girl.”
Sohail pressurized to change religion
As per the victim’s complaint, Sohail told the woman about his real identity and started pressurizing her to change her religion so that they could marry. When she refused to do so, he beat her several times. Yadav further added that the woman then started to gather more information about him and was shocked to learn that Sohail was already married and has a child from his first marriage.
After arresting Sohail on Monday, the case was transferred to Palsud police station as the crime took place in that region.
Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion ordinance 2020
The Madhya Pradesh government had recently passed the ‘Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion ordinance 2020’ on January 10. It is now an offence to forcefully convert someone or pressurising to convert for the sake of marriage. It is a non-bailable charge and the accused may face a jail term of two to five years and/or fine. Sohail is the first person to be arrested under the new ordinance in Madhya Pradesh.