Ten booked for alleged conversion of govt officer in UP’s Hamirpur

Hamirpur, Dec 28 (IANS) Ten persons have been booked under the anti-conversion law in Uttar Pradesh's Hamirpur district for allegedly forcing a naib tehsildar to convert to Islam and marry illegally a second time.

For the past few days, a photo of the officer, Ashish Gupta, 28, -- wearing a skull cap and offering namaaz -- had been circulating on social media amid claims of his religious conversion.

Gupta, booked for marrying a second time, allegedly renamed himself as Yusuf.

Gupta’s wife Aarti, 27, lodged an FIR with the Hamirpur Police on Wednesday, accusing a woman named Rukhsar, 25, her father, her paternal uncle Munna, and Maulvi Mohammad Mushtaq a.k.a. Babu Aadhati, the imam of a local mosque, and forcing her husband to convert.

Six unknown persons were also booked.

Aarti also accused her husband - with whom she has a five-year-old daughter - of illegally marrying a second time. She alleged that Gupta had not come home for four months and she recently learnt through social media that he had been forced to adopt Islam and had illegally married Rukhsar. Aarti claimed to possess photographs of Gupta’s second marriage.

Police sources said Gupta met Rukhsar when he was posted in Maudaha tehsil.

“Rukhsar had a land dispute in her locality following which she met Gupta. While helping her, the duo got into a relationship,” said an officer, adding that bigamy is a serious offence for a government officer and Gupta may be terminated if allegations proved true.

Meanwhile, the maulvi, who is also the muezzin (caller of azaan) at the mosque, said: “I had raised the issue when I noticed an unknown man, who did not appear a Muslim, coming to the mosque for prayers. Upon inquiry, he identified himself as Mohammad Yusuf of Kanpur, posted here as a naib tehsildar. I doubted his credentials and informed officials, including the police, about him for the safety of him and the mosque.”

Ashish Gupta, posted as naib tehsildar of Maudaha in Hamirpur on September 2, reportedly changed his name to Mohammad Yusuf and even went to a local mosque to offer prayers.

As the news of the conversion surfaced, tehsildar Balram Gupta has been asked to investigate the matter, senior officials said.

Hamirpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Deeksha Sharma said Ashish’s wife Aarti Yagyasaini on Wednesday lodged a complaint based on which an FIR was lodged against Gupta, Rukhsar, Rukhsar’s father and uncle, maulvi Babu Adhati, and six unnamed persons.

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