On 12th December, a man named Aman Qureshi from Delhi was booked by Rudrapur Police, Uttarakhand, for posing as a Hindu man to marry a Hindu woman. An FIR has been registered against Aman Qureshi, alias Aman Choudhary, on the complaint of Vinod Kohli under Sections 3 and 5 of the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act, 2018, and Sections 318(4) and 219 of Bharatiya Nayay Sanhita (BNS).
OpIndia has accessed a copy of the FIR registered in the case.
Fraudulent identity to arrange marriage
In his complaint, Kohli said that Qureshi had introduced himself as Aman Choudhary. He claimed to be from a Kumaoni Hindu family that was settled in Delhi. He further said that his sister, Menaka Kohli, and Aman met via an intermediary named Santosh Kumar, who vouched for Qureshi’s Kumaoni origins. In fact, Kohli’s family visited Aman’s residence in Delhi and found that it appeared Hindu and even had a small temple. As there was no reason to suspect the family, they mutually agreed on the arranged marriage of Aman and Menaka. Santosh has also been named as an accused in the FIR.
Hindu wedding rituals and subsequent revelation
On 13th October 2024, the duo got engaged at City Club, Rudrapur, following Kumaoni Hindu customs. Aman’s family members, who attended the ceremony, were dressed in traditional Kumaoni attire. They participated in the rituals, further removing any chance of suspicion. On 10th December, the couple got married as per Hindu rituals. Kohli’s family spent around ₹18–20 lakhs on the wedding, which included 150–160 grams of gold given as gifts.
Kohli’s family, however, became suspicious when they visited Aman’s residence in Delhi after the wedding. They discovered that the environment of Aman’s house was completely different from what they had witnessed earlier. Most of the members of Aman’s family were in Muslim attire, and it was evident that Islamic practices were being followed. When they inquired, Aman’s family allegedly admitted that they were Muslims. They further told Kohli’s family that the bride would now be required to follow Islamic customs.
Allegations of forced religious conversion
Kohli stated in the complaint that Qureshi and his family intentionally concealed information about their religion to deceive and coerce his sister into converting to Islam after marriage. He emphasised that it was a deliberate attempt to disrupt their religion and force them to change their faith, which is a punishable offence under the law.
SSP Rudrapur Manikant Mishra took cognisance of the FIR and sent an SOG team to Delhi. The SOG team rescued Menaka from Aman’s house. Superintendent of Police (SP) Uttam Singh Negi said in a statement that the accused groom has been arrested by the police. Further investigation in the matter is underway.
