What Shocking Details Did Zainab Reveal About Her Forced Conversion by Chhangur Baba?

Lucknow, July 14 (NationPress) A woman alleging to be a victim of a forced religious conversion led by Jamaluddin, known as Chhangur Baba, the purported mastermind behind a widespread conversion operation, has bravely come forward with alarming accounts of her experience.

She detailed how she was forcibly married, given a new name, and pressured into religious practices through threats and violence.

In an interview with IANS, the woman recalled, “In 2019, my mother encountered a boy who spoke of Chhangur Baba, claiming he could assist my father in overcoming alcoholism. This was our initial meeting. Baba provided us with a taweez (amulet) and performed some prayers. We returned home. Then, in 2024, the same boy informed us that Baba was visiting Kanpur and escorted us to meet him again. He took me to a mosque in Fatehpur, where I was forcibly married. It was during this time that I learned his actual name - Meraj Ansari. During a video call, Chhangur Baba renamed me Zainab.

She further claimed that following this forced marriage, she was imprisoned for three months.

“I was confined in their residence for three months. Meraj Ansari’s mother forced me to learn Namaz daily and would physically assault me if I refused. When I resisted engaging in a physical relationship with Meraj, his father threatened me, saying, ‘Do you want to prevent India from becoming an Islamic nation?’ His mother would suggest sending me to Pakistan. Their paternal uncle resides in Pakistan, and they used this threat constantly,” she recounted.

Chhangur Baba, who once sold rings and amulets from his bicycle, is now accused of managing a complex conversion syndicate financed by foreign funds. Investigations have uncovered that he oversees assets worth Rs 106 crore, allegedly sourced from Middle Eastern countries, distributed across 40 bank accounts, along with at least two properties valued in crores.

He was arrested on Saturday along with his close associate Neetu, alias Nasreen, in a hotel in Lucknow, shortly after the conversion racket was dismantled in Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur district. Since their arrest, investigative agencies have ramped up scrutiny into his extensive network and financial operations.

Chhangur Baba hails from Rehra Mafi village in Uttar Pradesh and previously served as its village chief. Officials indicate that his entire operation, built on funds linked to conversions, is concentrated in the Uttaraula area of Balrampur district, which borders Nepal.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against Jamaluddin, accusing him of forced religious conversions, misuse of foreign funds, and activities jeopardizing national security and communal harmony. The ED confirmed that the Rs 106 crore discovered in his accounts is suspected to be primarily sourced from Islamic nations in the Middle East to fund this conversion network.

Investigations continue, with authorities examining documents and digital evidence to uncover the full scope of the operation.