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Editorial by Sehajta Kaur, Editor at BoldVoices.in New Delhi, 29/04/2025

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Bone chilling case arise from Bhopal, India where many female college students were reportedly drugged, sexually assaulted, filmed and blackmailed for converting their religions.

It all started with emotional trap, false love promises and what not. The accused individuals were part of a gang led by an individual, Farhan Khan. The gang systematically preyed on college students and its modus operandi came to light on April 18 when two sisters pursuing B Tech at a Bhopal college approached the police. While the elder sister was raped in 2022 at a house in Jahangirabad, the younger sister was later sexually assaulted under threats. Both were later pressured for marriage and religious conversion.

The younger sister was further introduced by Farhan to his associate Adil Khan, who molested and eventually raped her. Videos of the incident were used for further blackmail and sexual assault, often carried out while the girl was intoxicated forcefully.

After seizing his phone, gruesome details emerged from videos, including burning a victim with a cigarette. Police found obscene videos, many of the two sisters. Cops believe he even brainwashed several victims to wear religious clothing and observe fasts. Some victims alleged being raped inside moving vehicles while being threatened by weapons, while others claimed being drugged.

Another main accused Sahil Khan, a native, started offering dance classes in Bhopal. He allegedly targeted poor girls who had moved from villages to the city for education. His first victim was a girl from Betul. After spiking her cold drink, he sexually assaulted her and secretly filmed it. The video was then used by Sahil to carry out repeated sexual assault, sometimes also involving Farhan.

It might look like just another sexual assault case, but its not.

It is more about the continuous attack on our religions… It is about the mentality of some groups who think they can do whatever they want by shattering the dignity of our women, just like the traumatizing 1992 Ajmer scandal… by attacking our identities like the Pahalgam attack where innocents were killed after identifying their religions.

It is a request to all the women reading this article, never hesitate voicing out for yourself, no matter what you fear of. I know its hard sometimes thinking about the repercussions as many of the girls are asked not to file official complaints and not let the matters disclose to avoid defamation. Some are even blamed or questioned if they “invited it themselves”. But, help is always available to those who ask for it, all you need is to find the right source.

Here are some numbers which as a woman, you must have:

All India helpline number for women- 1091

Police (obviously needs to be on speed dial)- 100

Women helpline – 181 (24 hours assistance and emergency response to women affected by violence)

It is also a request to the brothers and fathers in the families that please make your sisters and daughters feel trusted sharing their problems with you. Be it your sister, daughter, friend, girlfriend, wife, mother or any other random women, be their safe space where they don’t need to think twice before reaching you out.

Really disheartening how standing up for your own safety is still a taboo in our society. But as a society, we can change that. Everyone has a story, all we need is a listener… All we need is a safe space!