Bijnor: A case of alleged religious conversion involving a minor boy has surfaced in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district, with the family alleging he was taken to Kashmir on the pretext of a job and later pressured to convert to Islam.

According to a report by CNN-News18, the incident was reported from Bakharpur village under the City Kotwali area of Bijnor.

The family alleged that a youth identified as Wasim lured the minor, Vishal, to Kashmir with the promise of employment. They further claimed that the boy was later threatened and forced to undergo religious conversion.

Sources quoted by CNN-News18 said that when the family attempted to contact Vishal, they were allegedly told, “Forget the boy”.

Following the alleged conversion, Vishal was reportedly renamed Hamza.

The matter came to light after a video purportedly linked to the boy’s religious conversion surfaced on social media and drew widespread attention online.

After the clip went viral, the boy’s family approached the office of the Superintendent of Police seeking help and demanding Vishal’s safe return from Kashmir.

Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the allegations.

Speaking about the incident, Circle Officer (CO) Sangram Singh said the complaint was filed at the Kotwali Nagar PS and that the alleged conversion took place in Kupwara city of Jammu and Kashmir.

"Today, an application was submitted at the Kotwali Nagar Police Station by Krishna Kumar, a resident of Bahadarpur village, stating that a few years ago, his son Vishal had gone to Kupwara, Kashmir, to learn the barber's trade alongside Waseem, a resident of Kazipada. He has now learned that his son has undergone a religious conversion. Acting immediately upon this information, a case has been registered under the relevant sections of the law," CO Singh said.

Detailing the background of the incident, the complainant and the victim's father, Krishna Kumar, stated that the family had trusted the accused due to a long-standing professional association, leaving them with no initial reason to suspect any ulterior motives.

"My son is a minor. The boy Waseem, son of Liyaqat from the Kajiwala family, had taken my son away from home to teach him the salon trade. Over the past three to four years, he visited our home periodically, at intervals of six to eight months. During this time, he also gave us money. We never had any reason to doubt that he would take such a drastic step," Kumar said.