‘They get calls every day that they’ll be killed’: How a conversion case upended Shamli family

Multi-storeyed houses are packed closely on either side of Qureshi Mohalla, their upper floors casting a shadow on the road. Overhead, a web of black electric wires criss-cross between the rooftops. Open drains on either end carry a thin stream of dark sludge and bits of litter — a plastic cover, a chips packet, a half-torn gutka sachet.

Further down, the concrete lane winds past a small neighbourhood store where colourful plastic household goods, including stools, dustpans, utensil scrubbers and toilet brushes, dangle from a low green awning.

A few steps away, a three-storey house looms over the others. Its entrance features dark granite pillars, tiled steps, and a grey electric meter bolted to the wall. A large, reddish-brown iron gate is locked under a silver padlock.

It is the home of Chandni Qureshi and her family. They have been at the centre of a police case since June following a video that showed a 31-year-old man, Ayush Malik, son of prominent Shamli pharmaceutical businessman Devraj Singh Malik, doing namaz.

A knock on the iron gate brings a teenage girl to the door. She peers through the slits, only her eyes visible. “Abhi ghar pe koi nahi hai (no one lives in the house anymore),” she says and scuttles away.

Irshad, 20, peers out from next door. He says the family is inside. “But they are scared. They haven’t even met the neighbours since the case.”

Chandni and Ayush were married. But Devraj alleged that Chandni’s family had unlawfully converted Ayush to Islam, leading to the arrest of Chandni, her father and six others.

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Chandni’s cousin, who spoke to The Indian Express over the phone, says the family is afraid. “We have been harassed enough. We live in fear every day,” he says. “Local goons come to our house and threaten to kill us or implicate us in more cases.”

He refuses to disclose his name and declines to meet this newspaper, citing safety concerns.

The case later reached the Allahabad High Court, where Ayush challenged his father’s account of his conversion. On September 29, Devraj filed a fresh complaint accusing two men of kidnapping his son.

From arrests to a compromise

The case had begun with an FIR lodged on June 6. Before that, Ayush had released a video saying he had converted to Islam in 2007, long before he met Chandni.

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His statement, however, did not alter the police investigation. Chandni and her family were arrested and remained in jail for 47 days.

Ayush subsequently appeared in a video saying he had accepted Hinduism and Sanatan Dharma. In the video clip, he performs puja at a relative’s house. His head is completely shaved. His relatives had claimed he converted back to Hinduism and was staying at his sister’s home, away from the media glare.

Chandni and her family were granted bail by a local court in Shamli after Ishpal Singh, the lawyer representing Devraj, told the court that the two parties had reached a compromise.

But Ayush’s friend claims the compromise came only after Ayush agreed to convert back. “He was worried about Chandni’s safety and agreed. But once she and her family got bail, he decided to go back to Islam,” says the friend, who lives in Noida.

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Police officers in Shamli and other high-ranking officers refused to talk about the case on record when The Indian Express reached out to them.

One police officer in Shamli acknowledges that media attention had played a role in the investigation. “There was political pressure,” he says.

Another senior police officer in the district tells The Indian Express: “Everything was done as per legal provisions. If a complaint is submitted with names of the accused, they have to be questioned and arrested. Nothing in this case was done which was out of the ordinary.”

Case reaches Allahabad High Court

Ayush, those close to him claim, was being “confined illegally” at home.

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According to the Noida friend, Ayush approached Sultan Qari, a resident of neighbouring Saharanpur who was studying to be a lawyer, to file a petition on his behalf. The two knew each other; they spoke about Islam and its hadith.

“One day, Ayush spotted Sultan near his shop in Shamli. He approached him and took his number. He got in touch with him through a secure messaging application and requested him to file a habeas corpus petition. He had approached many people, but all of them refused. It was Sultan who showed courage and agreed,” says the friend.

Sultan then approached the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), a body of lawyers which works for “protecting the rights of India’s underprivileged and marginalised communities”.

The matter reached the Allahabad High Court.

Ayush’s counsel, in a habeas corpus petition, submitted that Ayush Malik had, “of his own free will and volition, renounced Hinduism and embraced Islam without any coercion, undue influence or inducement”.

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It said Ayush “solemnised marriage with Chandni Qureshi against the wishes of his father” and accused the “State authorities and their functionaries” of facilitating Ayush’s “illegal detention” at the instance of Devraj.

Speaking to The Indian Express, the lawyer, advocate Umar Khalid, claims, “Ayush was kept under illegal confinement at his home, and placed under police surveillance even while sitting at his shop. Police restricted his freedom of movement and prevented him from speaking to anyone…”

“Photographs, which Ayush provided, showing the police surveillance and restrictions imposed on him, were annexed to the petition,” he adds.

What the court said

A week after the petition was filed, Justice Sandeep Jain took note of Ayush’s statement disputing his father’s assertions.

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Ayush reiterated before the court that he had made his decisions voluntarily, independently, and after due deliberation. Devraj, however, refuted the allegations made by his son and stated that he had been “influenced or brainwashed” by certain persons and had not, according to him, voluntarily embraced Islam

“From the interaction with the corpus, it is apparent that he has attained the age of majority and is capable of taking decisions concerning his own life. His categorical statement before the court is that he has voluntarily embraced Islam and that such decision was neither induced nor occasioned by any threat, coercion, undue influence or pressure. Nothing has been brought on record which may persuade this court to disbelieve the statement made by the corpus in the course of his interaction with the court,” said the judge in a four-page order.

The court also acknowledged Ayush’s father’s concern “regarding the welfare of his son”, calling it “understandable in the context of the familial relationship”. But it held that “such concern cannot, by itself, override the constitutionally protected autonomy of an adult person who is competent to take decisions concerning his faith, residence and choice of life partner”.

Noting that Ayush had been living under police presence at his house and was produced before the High Court pursuant to the directions issued in the case, Justice Jain said the court found no lawful justification for continuing any restraint upon his personal liberty.

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Videos of Ayush celebrating with his lawyers — Advocates Deepak Singh, Mohammad Khalid, and Umar Khalid and others — circulated on social media after the order.

In the clips, he stands in the corridors of the High Court in a crisp white shirt and black trousers, his hair cut short in a crew style and his beard trimmed — different from some of his earlier photos where he is seen in a long beard.

Then a vanishing act

After the High Court order, Ayush is learnt to have travelled from Prayagraj to Delhi. His lawyers and friends subsequently lost track of his whereabouts.

“We don’t know where he is. His life is under threat so it’s better if he stays away from Shamli and the media. We are worried for his safety at this point,” says his friend.

Devraj then lodged a case against Sultan, accusing him of kidnapping his son.

Ayush released another video. In the one-minute clip, recorded on a mobile phone, he appears against a backdrop of clear blue sky and white clouds. No signboards or other visible markers reveal his location.

In the video, Ayush says he had spoken to his mother around six days ago and there is no substance in the allegation of his kidnapping.

“The issue Babuji (father) is raising can incite riots in Shamli. There’s also talk of inciting riots in other cities. I’m fine and happy. The property was his yesterday, and it’s his today as well. Why does he keep bringing up the property issue? If I have any problems, I’ll inform the police myself,” says Ayush.

The reference to property came amid allegations made by Devraj in his complaint against Sultan and Mufti Abdullah of Darul Uloom Deoband. He alleged that Sultan had approached and threatened him, saying Ayush had been reconverted and that Devraj should also convert and transfer his property to him.

Devraj, who owns Bharat Medicos and its several small branches spread across the town, meanwhile, says he has been looking everywhere for his son. “I don’t know where he is. I think he is in danger,” he tells The Indian Express.

On the allegations of him “intimidating” Chandni’s family, he denies them and says: “Despite all that has happened in the last few months, I still don’t know where the family lives. If someone gives me Rs 1 lakh to show their house, I won’t be able to. I have never spoken to them or threatened them directly or indirectly. There is no question of that.”

While Ayush remains out of public view, Chandni’s family is refusing to meet anyone. Her father ran a prominent fruit wholesale business in Shamli, while Chandni worked as a physiotherapist and gym instructor. Since the case came to light, the family has suffered heavy business losses, while Chandni has stopped working and is being forced to stay at home.

“They can’t leave the house. Every day, someone calls to threaten to kill them,” claims Chandni’s cousin, who made calls from other people’s phones, fearing for his own safety.

He claims no one from the police force nor politicians have extended support. “They reached out to multiple Muslim leaders in Shamli and West UP. But no one supported them…”

“Devraj Malik is sending someone to their house every day to threaten them,” he alleges. “Even their relatives are scared to meet or contact them. We don’t know when this will end.”