UP: Mother defends son in minor's religious conversion case in J&K

The mother of a youth accused of converting a Bijnor minor in J&K's Kupwara has refuted the allegations. The minor's father filed a police complaint after an Instagram video showed his son stating he had adopted the Islamic faith.

Following the registration of a criminal case regarding the alleged religious conversion of a minor boy from Bijnor in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara, Mohammadi, the mother of the accused youth Waseem, on Tuesday, rejected the allegations, stating that her son is being falsely implicated in the matter.

Accused's Mother Denies Allegations

Defending her son against the police complaint filed by the minor's family, Mohammadi stated that the claims are entirely baseless and that her son had no regular contact with the victim over the last two and a half years. "... All this is wrong. My child would never do something like this... I am in constant touch with Waseem... These are false accusations against my child... Vishal wasn't with my son for the last 2.5 years," Mohammadi told ANI.

Police Register Case

The mother's statement comes in response to a formal report lodged by the minor's father, Krishna Kumar, a resident of Bahadarpur village in Bijnor. Kumar had alleged that his 17-year-old son, who had travelled to Kupwara with Waseem to learn the salon trade, was induced into changing his faith, a development the family claimed to have discovered through an Instagram video uploaded on May 15.

Speaking about the incident, Circle Officer (CO) Sangram Singh said the complaint was filed today at the Kotwali Nagar PS and that the Uttar Pradesh police have registered a case. "Today, an application was submitted at the Kotwali Nagar Police Station by Krishna Kumar, a resident of Bahadarpur village, stating that a few years ago, his son Vishal had gone to Kupwara, Kashmir, to learn the barber's trade alongside Waseem, a resident of Kazipada. He has now learned that his son has undergone a religious conversion. Acting immediately upon this information, a case has been registered under the relevant sections of the law," CO Singh said.

Father's Complaint

Detailing the background of the incident, the complainant and the victim's father, Krishna Kumar, stated that the family had trusted the accused due to a long-standing professional association, leaving them with no initial reason to suspect any ulterior motives. "My son is a minor. The boy Waseem, son of Liyaqat from the Kajiwala family, had taken my son away from home to teach him the salon trade. Over the past three to four years, he visited our home periodically, at intervals of six to eight months. During this time, he also gave us money. We never had any reason to doubt that he would take such a drastic step," Kumar said.

According to the family, the matter came to light unexpectedly through social media last week, prompting them to approach senior administrative and police authorities for immediate legal intervention. "We became aware of this situation on the 15th. On the 15th, he sent a video via Instagram stating that he had adopted the Islamic faith. Yesterday, we lodged a formal report with the Superintendent of Police... My son is 17 years and 4 months old," the father added, as a comprehensive police investigation remains underway.

J&K Police Launch Investigation

Following this, the Jammu and Kashmir Police also registered a First Information Report (FIR) into the alleged case of religious conversion reported within the frontier district of Kupwara. The police have launched an investigation into the matter, while cautioning the general public against spreading unverified reports or disturbing communal harmony. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)