Police in Bijnor have registered a case after a minor boy was allegedly forced to convert to Islam in Kashmir [1], [2].
The case highlights ongoing concerns regarding the safety of minors and the legality of religious conversions under pressure in India. It also underscores the risks associated with unregulated employment promises that move vulnerable youth across state lines.
The victim, originally named Vishal, is a resident of the Bijnor district in Uttar Pradesh [1]. According to his father, Krishna Kumar, the boy was lured to the Kupwara district of Kashmir with the promise of employment in a salon [1], [3].
The family said that once the boy arrived in Kashmir, he was pressured to convert to Islam and was renamed Hamza [1], [3]. While the alleged conversion occurred a few years ago, the family recently sought legal intervention to address the situation [2].
Authorities at the Kotwali Nagar Police Station in Bijnor have officially registered the case following the family's complaint [2]. The police said they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the boy's travel to Kashmir and the identities of those who provided the job offer [1], [2].
The investigation focuses on whether the boy was kidnapped or trafficked under the guise of vocational training [2]. The family has called for the boy's safe return and a thorough probe into the forced conversion [1], [3].
Local officials have not yet released a statement regarding the current location of the minor or the status of any suspects in the Kupwara region [2].
“Police in Bijnor have registered a case after a minor boy was allegedly forced to convert to Islam in Kashmir.”
This incident reflects the complex intersection of labor migration and religious tension in India. By using the promise of skilled work—in this case, salon services—to move a minor across the country, the alleged perpetrators bypassed parental oversight. The subsequent legal action in Uttar Pradesh may trigger broader scrutiny of recruitment practices targeting minors and the enforcement of laws against forced religious conversion.
