Karnataka woman alleges rape by man in front of his wife, claims she was forced to convert; FIR registered
The woman, who was married and Hindu, claimed that the man raped her in front of his wife and forced her to wear a burkha, forbidding her from wearing ‘kumkum‘ on her forehead, as per the police statement.
FollowAn FIR has been lodged against seven people in Karnataka, including a couple for allegedly forcing a 28-year-old married woman to convert to Islam through blackmail using her explicit photos. According to the police statement, the married Hindu lady alleged that the man had sexually assaulted her in front of his wife, had her wear a burkha, and forbidden her from putting "kumkum" on her forehead.
Rafik and his wife, the suspects, are accused by the police of tricking the woman and having sex with her. Rafik then took intimate photos of her, which he used to blackmail her into converting from Hinduism to Islam.
The 28-year-old lady complained that Rafik had instructed her to get a divorce from her spouse and threatened to release personal images of her if she didn't comply. She also mentioned that the couple threatened to harm her if she didn’t convert.
According to a report published in India Today, the woman also claimed that she was subjected to caste-based abuse and coercion to become a member of a different religion by the accused due to her caste background.
Discussing the case, the police said that since 2023, Rafik and his wife had coerced the woman to move into their home in Belagavi, and demanded her to follow their orders. The woman claimed that Rafik raped her last year while his wife was present, when all three of them were living together.
According to Belagavi SP Bhimashankar Guleda, in April this year, the couple told the woman not to wear ‘kumkum‘, made her wear a burkha, and compelled her to perform namaz five times a day. A complaint was lodged in Saundatti against seven people in response to the woman's accusations. A number of statutes, including the Indian Penal Code, the SC/ST Act, the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act, and pertinent provisions of the IT legislation, are used to prosecute them. These accusations include of criminal intimidation, rape, kidnapping, and unlawful imprisonment.
