Ayush Malik, the Shamli man whose conversion to Islam had triggered an investigation under Uttar Pradesh’s anti-conversion law, has now returned to Hinduism, with his family claiming he voluntarily re-embraced the faith after considering the distress caused to his parents.
A video that surfaced after his return shows Ayush performing Hindu rituals and prayers. In the video, he says he had converted to Islam but has now decided, of his own free will, to return to Sanatan Dharma and live with his family.
“I had gone into Islam and changed my religion. But after seeing your pain and keeping my family in mind, I have, of my own free will, returned to Hinduism. I want to live under the care and protection of my family,” Ayush says in the video.
His father, Devaraj Malik, claimed that his son has formally re-adopted Sanatan Dharma. Earlier, Devaraj Malik had alleged that Chandni Qureshi and her father, Islam Qureshi, had brainwashed Ayush as part of a planned conspiracy and converted him to Islam under the name Mohammad Ali to gain control of the family’s property worth crores of rupees.
The latest development comes weeks after Uttar Pradesh Police arrested physiotherapist Chandni Qureshi and her father, Islam Qureshi, following a complaint filed by Devaraj Malik under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act.
According to the FIR, Ayush, a B-Pharma graduate who helped manage his family’s medical store, first met Chandni in 2018 while undergoing treatment for a leg injury at a local hospital. Police said the two later developed a relationship, after which Chandni and members of her family gradually influenced him to embrace Islam.
The complaint alleges that Ayush was taken to Delhi in 2023, where he was converted to Islam and given the name Mohammad Ali. It further claims that a nikah ceremony was performed in Delhi, although police have said no marriage certificate has been recovered during the investigation.
According to police sources, Ayush had adopted Islamic practices, including growing a beard, offering five daily prayers and changing his attire.
Devaraj Malik had told police that the conversion was part of a broader conspiracy to take control of the family’s assets and property. Based on his complaint, police registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act.
