The disappearance of a young man who converted to Islam in Uttar Pradesh is causing a stir. 31-year-old Ayush Malik went missing just days after the Allahabad High Court ruled that he has the freedom to choose his religion and life partner. His father Devraj Singh Malik had filed a complaint with the police alleging that his son was kidnapped by two clerics and was being threatened for his property. Following this, the police registered a case and started an investigation.

The Allahabad High Court heard the habeas corpus petition filed against Ayush Malik of Shamli on September 16. Ayush told the court that he had voluntarily converted to Islam in 2014 and wanted to marry a young woman named Chandni Qureshi. Responding to this, a bench of Justice Sandeep Jain said that Ayush is a major and has complete freedom to choose his religion and life partner. However, he did not return home after the court hearing.

Concerned father Devraj Malik approached the police. The complaint states that a man named Sultan Qari from Saharanpur took his son away after he came out of the court and his whereabouts are unknown since then. On September 18, Sultan came to him and threatened to convert his family to Islam and give some of his property to him and Mufti Abdullah of Darul Uloom Deoband. He alleged that the business of his medical shop was also suffering due to Ayush's absence.

Based on the father's complaint, the police have registered an FIR against Sultan Qari and Mufti Abdullah under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Conversion Act. Special teams are currently searching for Ayush. Ayush, a B-Pharma graduate, was involved in a case registered last June based on his father's complaint. Chandni and her father were arrested after a case of conversion was registered against them at that time. It is noteworthy that it was against this backdrop that Ayush's friend Sultan filed a habeas corpus petition in the High Court.