Nadiad: Allegations of psychological pressure and religious conversion have surfaced against the government-run Sakhi One Stop Center in Nadiad after a Hindu woman sought shelter there amid a family dispute over her relationship with a Christian man.

The controversy began after the woman, who was working at a private company in Ahmedabad, developed a relationship with a Christian colleague. According to the family, tensions arose when she expressed her desire to marry him, which they opposed due to religious differences. As the dispute escalated, the woman contacted the 181 Abhayam helpline for assistance, following which she was accommodated at the Sakhi One Stop Center in Nadiad for protection.

The woman’s father has accused staff members at the center of exerting mental pressure on him from the day his daughter was admitted there. He alleged that employees repeatedly contacted him and described the man as “perfect” while pressuring the family to agree to the marriage.

Social activist and lawyer Ketan Patel also levelled serious allegations against the center, claiming that women employees from other religions were influencing Hindu women staying there to marry outside their faith and encouraging religious conversion. Patel alleged that when he accompanied the girl’s father to bring her home, signatures and thumb impressions were taken on partially blank documents, which he termed legally objectionable.

“The institution is functioning like a marriage bureau instead of counselling families,” Patel alleged, adding that government-run centers should focus on resolving disputes rather than influencing personal or religious decisions.

The girl’s father also accused the center of encouraging interfaith marriage instead of counselling the family. “We are Hindus and the man is Christian. Officials at the One Stop Center repeatedly asked us what was wrong with marrying our daughter into another religion,” he claimed.

Responding to the allegations, Women and Child Officer Farjana Khan said the woman had approached the Abhayam helpline due to a dispute with her family over religion. Khan clarified that the woman would be allowed to go with her father if she consented. Otherwise, she would be shifted to a women’s shelter for long-term accommodation.

The incident has triggered debate in the Nadiad region, with local residents and social organisations demanding an impartial inquiry into the functioning of the Sakhi One Stop Center and the allegations made by the woman’s family. DeshGujarat