Kerala Student’s Suicide Linked to Forced Conversion

• A 23-year-old student from Kothamangalam in Kerala’s Ernakulam district was found dead by suicide, with her family alleging it was due to pressure for forced religious conversion.
• A suicide note recovered by the police from the scene accuses her boyfriend and his relatives of physical and mental harassment to force her to convert to Islam for marriage.
• The police have taken the accused boyfriend into custody and launched an investigation into charges of abetment to suicide and other related crimes.

GG News Bureau
Ernakulam, 11th Aug: A 23-year-old teacher training student in Kerala’s Ernakulam district has died by suicide, with her family alleging that she was driven to the act by persistent pressure for forced religious conversion. The police have since taken her boyfriend into custody and launched a formal investigation.

The student, a resident of Kothamangalam, was found dead by hanging at her home on Saturday. The police initially registered a case of unnatural death but elevated the investigation after recovering a suicide note from the scene. According to officials, the note explicitly accuses her boyfriend and his relatives of subjecting her to physical and mental harassment to force her to convert to Islam in order to marry him.

The victim’s mother, who works as a domestic helper, told reporters that the accused family had brought a marriage proposal but insisted on her daughter’s conversion. She claimed that while her daughter initially agreed out of love, she changed her mind after discovering that the boyfriend was also involved in a smuggling case. The mother further alleged that her daughter was still willing to marry the man but had firmly refused to change her religion.

According to the family’s account, the boyfriend had recently held the student hostage in a room at his house, where he allegedly assaulted and threatened her to pressure her into conversion. The victim’s brother has also corroborated the allegations of physical abuse and threats. Police officials stated that the accused will be arrested soon, and a thorough investigation will be conducted to establish the truth of the forced conversion allegations.