Woman wilfully converts to Islam, faces extortion, threats

New Delhi: After having willfully converted her religion from Hinduism to Islam, Ayesha Alvi (formerly Renu Gangwar), who works in the Capital but hails from Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur, has now moved the Delhi High Court seeking protection for herself and her family from vigilante groups sending life-threats and a purported "witch-hunt" by the UP Police.

Alvi sought protection as also her right to privacy, saying that because of her conversion she and her family are being targeted and malicious content is being published in the media which should be stopped immediately.

Advocate Kamlesh Kumar Mishra, who represents the woman, said the petition is likely to come up for hearing on Wednesday. The plea said Alvi converted to Islam on May 27 in Delhi and since June 23, when she was in Shahjahanpur, she started getting calls from media persons requesting for a meeting which she refused.

She has said media persons came to her place without her permission and took her photographs and videos and she started getting calls threatening that her conversion news will be published in the media and she would be arrested and demanded money.

Thereafter, one of them forcibly took Rs 20,000 while others too tried to extort money from her and her family, the plea alleged, adding that absurd and imaginary details are being reported in the media regarding her conversion.

The petitioner (Alvi) is an adult and she is protected by the Constitution to choose her own faith and she cannot be targeted and harassed for the choice she makes with regard to the religion she follows, the petition said.

In the plea, she said she had given a complaint to the Delhi Police Commissioner on June 24, seeking immediate intervention for her protection with regard to her conversion to Islam on her own free will and without any threat or coercion from anyone but no action has been taken on her complaint yet.

"There is no other option other than approaching this court for immediate directions to stop the harassment of the petitioner," said the plea, filed through advocate Kamlesh Kumar Mishra and Nitin Kumar Nayak.

It sought to direct the authorities to ensure that the woman is not taken away from Delhi by force or coercion by any government agency or person and she and her family be granted protection and not harassed or interrogated regarding her conversion.

The plea further sought directions to the media to not publish or broadcast any malicious content regarding her and to not divulge her personal details and also remove the contents already shown.

It sought to direct the UP agencies to not harass the woman or any other persons who have not converted in the state of UP and on whom the provisions of the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Ordinance, 2020 does not apply.

The petition has made DCP, SHO of Jamia Nagar Police Station, Delhi government, Director General of UP Police, UP government as parties.