A police officer said they are investigating the case from all angles after a right-wing group protested, alleging it was a case of 'love jihad'.
Basti: A young Muslim man attempting to marry a minor Dalit girl was arrested after a right-wing group, along with villagers, protested against the marriage, alleging ‘love jihad’ in Uttar Pradesh’s Basti district.
The incident took place in the Parshurampur police station area of the district on Friday (November 28). According to Basti Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhinandan, a complaint of ‘love jihad’ was received and it was found that the girl was a minor. A case has been registered and further action is being taken as per the law, he said.
Police said a Muslim youth from Gond, identified as Sajid, had arrived with a wedding procession to marry a girl from a Dalit community. The two had met at a wedding ceremony some days ago.
When villagers saw a wedding procession of a Muslim youth at their village, they were surprised and soon members of the Vishwa Hindu Mahasangh reached the scene, raising objections at the wedding. They launched a protest at the scene.
Soon, a police team arrived at the scene, and an investigation was launched. Upon speaking with the girl’s parents, it was found that she was a minor and a case was registered, the SP said, adding, the youth, along with some of his friends who had accompanied him, were held for questioning.
According to villagers, Sajid and the girl had become close. They alleged that this was not a usual love marriage but a “conspiracy for religious conversion”.
“Since the girl is a minor, the marriage is legally invalid. Police are investigating the entire matter from all angles. Also, additional forces (to maintain law and order) have been deployed in the village. Sajid has been arrested and sent to jail on charges of attempting forced religious conversion and marriage,” an official said.
It is pertinent to mention here that the term ‘love jihad’ is a conspiracy theory peddled by right-wing groups under which they claim that Muslim men lure non-Muslim women through feigned love and deception, force them to convert to Islam and marry them as part of an agenda to alter religious demographics. While several cases of Muslim men marrying non-Muslim women and vice versa have come to the fore, there is no evidence of any organised conspiracy as claimed.
Courtesy : ETV Bharat
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