Police have registered a case to investigate the alleged religious conversion of an 18-year-old barber to Islam in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Tuesday. The teenager has been identified as Vishal, a native of Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor.
“A case relating to alleged religious conversion has been reported in Kupwara. Cognisance of the matter has been taken, and an FIR under relevant sections of law has been registered,” the officials said.The officials said the police have appealed to the people not to pay heed to rumours or circulate unverified information, adding that a probe is underway.The police have launched an investigation into the matter, while cautioning the general public against spreading unverified reports or disturbing communal harmony.”
Cognisance of the matter has been taken, and an FIR under relevant sections of law has been registered under FIR no. 133/2026.An investigation has been set into motion. Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh Police registered a criminal case against a local salon owner after a resident of Bahadarpur village filed a complaint alleging that his 17-year-old minor son was illegally converted to Islam in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara under the pretext of learning the barber trade.
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.”On Monday 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 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.
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.According to the family, the matter came to light unexpectedly through social media last week, prompting them to approach senior administrative and police authorities for immediate legal intervention, he said.
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