Pune

A model from Pimpri-Chinchwad in Pune district of Maharashtra has reconverted to Hinduism, alleging that she faced harassment during her marriage to a Muslim businessman.

According to the woman, she married a businessman from Mira-Bhayandar in 2017 despite opposition from her family. Following the interfaith marriage, she converted to Islam and her name was reportedly changed.

However, she alleged that the marriage soon became troubled and that she experienced both mental and physical harassment after the wedding. Speaking to the media, she said she was also pressured to alter her religious practices after the marriage.

She claimed that although she was not directly forced into the marriage, she felt she had been influenced by emotional pressure. She described the relationship as an instance of “love jihad”, a term used in political discourse in India to allege forced or deceptive religious conversion through marriage.

The woman further alleged that whenever she attempted to follow Hindu customs at home, she faced opposition. She said physical abuse began within days of the wedding and that she endured the situation for several years, largely for the sake of her children.

She eventually decided to reconvert to Hinduism and said she has also brought her four children back to the faith.

The woman added that another daughter-in-law in the same family had fully accepted Islam and continues to live with them, while a different daughter-in-law was also allegedly facing harassment but had the support of her husband.

She said she has filed a police complaint regarding the alleged harassment she faced over the past decade and has sought security for herself.

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“Now I am not afraid of anything. I am standing strong for my children,” she said.