Alleged forced conversion, marriage of three Hindu girls sparks protest

Girls tell magistrate they did so out of own free will; parents say they are underage

HYDERABAD:

After Sanghar district an identical case of alleged abduction and forced conversion of religion of three Hindu girls has surfaced in Tando Allahyar district where Kolhi and Meghwadh families have also lodged FIRs with the police. Three separate FIRs were registered on Sunday at Sultanabad police station stating that the young women were kidnapped from different localities in the limits of that police station.

The parents also alleged that their daughters including Khenchi Kolhi, Lata Devi Meghwadh and Meena Meghwadh were compelled to change their religion to Islam on July 13. The Hindu community also staged sit-in demonstrations, demanding arrest of the alleged kidnappers. According to them, the girls were underage and, therefore, they cannot marry as per the law.

Tanveer Brohi and Qadir Brohi have been accused in the FIR for kidnapping Khenchi; Saeed Ahmed Kharal, Ali Akbar Punjabi and Mashallah Brohi for Lata; and Ali Sher Brohi and Abdul Sattar Brohi, both brothers, for Meena. The FIR numbers 44/2025, 45/2025 and 46/2025 have been registered under sections 365/B and 34 of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

The protest ended on the police assurance that they would arrest the accused and recover the young women. Meanwhile, on Tuesday all the three women appeared before the Sindh High Court Hyderabad Circuit Bench along with Tanveer, Saeed and Ali Sher. They declared before the SHC that they have willingly changed their religion and that they have married the three men. The women also changed their Hindu names to Muslim names after the conversion. Their new names are Kalsoom, Bisma and Samaima, they apprised the court which granted protective bail to the couples.

The Sindh Human Rights Commission's Chairman Iqbal Ahmed Detho on Tuesday wrote a letter to SSP Tando Allahyar, asking him to ensure a fair investigation of the matter especially with regard to the ages of the young women. He reiterated that if they were underage, the solemnization of the marriages would amount to Sindh Child Marriage Restrain Act, 2013.