A woman and minor girl accuse an occultist of rape and forceful religious conversion in Delhi

Delhi, July 27: An occultist has been accused of rape and forceful religious conversion in national capital as police registered a first information report (FIR) against the accused. A minor relative of the victim who was an eyewitness of the crime was also targeted by the accused

The accused has been identified as one Zakir. The victim recounted that she first met the occultist in 2005, following an epileptic seizure. At that time, she was just 10 years old and was taken to Zakir for ‘treatment’ at the suggestion of a relative. The accused started visiting her house frequently and managed to win the trust of her family members. Zakir, who lived in Jyoti Colony near Durgapuri Chowk, then sexually exploited her on multiple occasions and also targeted her minor niece.

“My father and mother were both school teachers. But my mother had died by that time. Zakir won the trust of family members and would often suggest ‘treatment’ for my health condition. He would extort money from us in the name of ‘animal sacrifice (bali)’ and misled the family into believing that satan must be appeased for my cure. He raped me for the first time when I was just 13 years old. Zakir claimed that the heinous act was the work of ‘Satanic forces’ and continued to rape me for years. I had to undergo abortions four times.”

The victim’s father was buried instead of being cremated The victim, now 25, informed that the occultist had a strong influence on her brother so much so that he converted him to Islam. She further narrated, “He prepared a false affidavit, which claimed that my date of birth was 1985. This is despite the fact that all my school certificates and even my BA degree carry my real date of birth (1995). When my father died, Zakir prevented us from performing his last rites (as per Hindu traditions). Instead, he got my deceased father buried in a cemetery in Sundar Nagari under the pseudonym of Mohammed Yusuf.”

The woman also said that the occultist performed nikkah with her in the absence of any Islamic cleric and claimed his rights on her.

She was put under house arrest and barred from going anywhere. On June 17 this year, the victim forcibly went to the house of Zakir and was thrashed brutally by his wife and child. She then called her niece, who then dialled the Police Control Room (PCR). They were told to visit the GTB Enclave Police Station. When the woman narrated her ordeal to the police, she was told to visit Shahdara Police Station. The cops, stationed there, were informed about the heinous acts committed by Zakir against the victim and her niece. However, the police refused to register two First Information Reports (FIRs) and said that they could only register one FIR.

The woman alleged that the police didn’t note down all details and deliberately kept loopholes in the FIR so as to benefit the occultist. Meanwhile, Zakir was able to secure an anticipatory bail from the court. The police refused to lodge a case against Zakir for atrocities committed against the victim’s minor niece. Only after they approached a magistrate, the police were forced to register a separate FIR and invoked the POCSO (Prevention of Child Sexual Offences) Act. The victim’s niece, who was born in 2005, recounted that Zakir first raped her when she was in 4th standard and then raped her on multiple occasions.

The report said that Zakir raped the victim in front of the minor niece and targeted her as well. By 2017-2018, it became unbearable for the minor girl to tolerate further assaults. Zakir would frequently make cuts on her hand with a blade and claim to offer the blood as a sacrifice. The girl conceded that her aunt was raped several times in front of her by the occultist. On June 17, when Zakir began raping her aunt, she called the police. But, her efforts were in vain. The victim’s niece lamented that the Shahdara police did not execute their responsibilities and refused to lodge the FIRs on the day of the complaint.

The girl informed, “I am 16 years old but the cops wrote my age as 21 in the FIR. This was despite the fact that I showed my school certificate to the police. The deliberate errors by the police have proved advantageous to Zakir. He has ruined our entire family and raped me and my aunt for years. We deserve justice. He had also prepared false affidavits to show that my aunt has converted to Islam. However, he couldn’t do that to me. He used to say that I am also a Muslim and must follow Islam. My maternal grandfather had never converted but he was buried at a cemetery in Sundar Nagri.”

Jai Bhagwan Goel, the Working President of the United Hindu Front has come to the victim and her niece’s rescue. While speaking about the matter, he said, “We have learnt how Zakir had committed atrocities on the two victims. They were raped for several years, forcibly converted and their properties were encroached upon. We spoke to the DCP of Shahdara district about the ease with which Zakir was able to get anticipatory bail. It only goes on to highlight their laxity in both the cases and their sympathies for the perpetrators. We will do everything possible to ensure that both get justice.”

Social worker, Dr Anita Gupta, informed, “The matter has come before us and we are going to help the duo through our NGO Maa Shakti. This is a case of rape and forced religious conversion. The woman and her niece have been tortured for several years. However, it is beyond comprehension how the police have omitted important details from the FIR despite the POCSO Act which helped Zakir to get anticipatory bail.” In its defence, the Shahdara police claimed that the anticipatory bail was granted by the court and that they did not have any role in it, the report added.