After the arrest of a daughter and her father following an alleged “Love Jihad” complaint filed by the 30-year-old man’s father in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli, Ayush Malik has publicly denounced the incarceration of his wife, Chandni Qureshi, and father-in-law, Islam Qureshi, as unjust, asserting that his embrace of Islam was neither coerced nor induced but the culmination of years of reflection and spiritual understanding.
Breaking his silence amid the controversy, Ayush rejected allegations that he had been lured into conversion or marriage through deception, insisting that his decision to adopt Islam had evolved over a prolonged period of personal study rather than external pressure.
Declaring himself “a Muslim, Alhamdulillah,” he maintained that his family’s opposition stemmed not from coercion but from their longstanding disapproval of his relationship with Chandni.
Chandni Qureshi and her father are presently in judicial remand after being arrested by the Shamli Police on the basis of a complaint lodged by Ayush’s father, Devraj Malik.
The complaint alleged that Chandni and her father had entrapped his son under the guise of a romantic relationship while being aware that he belonged to a prosperous business family, according to The Siasat Daily.
According to Shamli Superintendent of Police NP Singh, Devraj Malik is a prominent medical trader with multiple commercial establishments in the city. The officer stated that Ayush, the youngest child and only son after three married daughters, was allegedly targeted because of the family’s considerable wealth.
Islam Qureshi, meanwhile, earns his livelihood as a fruit vendor, and the complaint alleges that he sought to gain access to the Malik family’s property through his daughter’s relationship with Ayush.
Police further stated that Chandni, who worked as a gym trainer, came into contact with Ayush before the two eventually married. The officer also observed that Ayush now sports a long beard, wears an Islamic cap and traditional kurtha-pyjama, and maintains only minimal communication with his family.
Ayush, however, firmly repudiated any insinuation of indoctrination, stating that his intellectual and spiritual journey had unfolded gradually. He explained that he chose to follow Dr Israr Ahmed’s lectures because he found them meaningful and that no individual had compelled him to do so.
He also dismissed allegations that his conversion was motivated by property, asserting that he had no interest in inheriting his father’s assets. Instead, he claimed to have requested that the property be transferred to his mother and sisters, while expressing the belief that his father was being subjected to pressure from right-wing groups after learning of his conversion and nikah earlier this year.