Cases of love jihad in India on rise

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Unfortunately, Love Jihad, despite a multitude of proofs establishing its veracity as a phenomenon, continues to be regarded as fictional in the narrative of the popular media, deceiving people worldwide. Writes Ashlyn Davis

Often portrayed as a conspiracy by Hindu extremists, Love Jihad has become a serious threat in India. “Christian Youths, This Way,” a Christian Group in Clubhouse, is discussing the issue of Love Jihad, and Catholic bishops from Kerala have highlighted how scores of Christian women are being lured by the Islamic State through this approach. With the recent incident in Jammu and Kashmir of Sikh women being abducted by Muslim men, forcibly converted and married, it has become apparent that the Love Jihadis are targeting non-Muslim women from every other religious background. However, as the Hindu population is dominant in India, understandably the victims of Love Jihad are mostly of a Hindu background.

This is worrisome, because educating a young woman about the kind of company she must keep is not enough. The Love Jihadis assume false identities and flaunt Hindu names to prey on girls from Hindu families and lead them to a life of torments or, in many cases, brutal deaths. While various media houses continue to denounce the concept of Love Jihad as a farce, here are some real cases that show how Muslim men have duped Hindu women into toxic romantic relations year after year:

2017: A Dalit Hindu girl from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, having lost her parents, made ends meet by doing knitting work. She leveled rape allegations against a Muslim man, Amiruddin, who, she claimed, befriended her by introducing himself as Amar. She met Amiruddin as Amar and their relationship started to blossom. One day, Amiruddin asked to meet her to go to a local theatre, but he brought along his friend Wasim. The two took her to a secluded place and raped her. They were trying to abduct her when the locals took notice and saved her. Medical tests corroborated her claims of rape. The incident also triggered communal tension in the area.

2018: A resident of West Bengal’s Konnagar, Sheikh Sultan, introduced himself as a Hindu to a woman from a Hindu Bengali Brahmin community, 35-year-old Subhologna Chakraborty. The relationship progressed, and the couple was headed for a court marriage. The Chakraborty family discovered Sultan’s real identity shortly before the wedding and called it off, which enraged the Muslim man who was posing as a Hindu. One evening, Sultan barged into the Chakraborty house and shot the woman at point-blank range. Subhologna’s parents also suffered injuries while trying to stop Sultan. The neighbors rushed the three to the Uttarpara State General hospital, where Subhologna was declared dead.

2019: A15-year-old Hindu girl from Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly was befriended by a man who claimed to be named Aman. Working in a local beauty parlor, the Hindu girl trusted “Aman,” as he sported Hindu religious symbols and visited the temple with her. Taking advantage of this trust, the man raped her and filmed the incident. It was then that the Hindu minor realized that Aman was a Muslim who would use indecent videos to blackmail her repeatedly. Finally, the victim, accompanied by her mother, approached the police, and it was revealed that Aman’s real name was Khalid. Several charges were brought against the accused, including one under the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

2020: Love Jihad cases of varying intensity are a regular occurrence in Kanpur, a town in Uttar Pradesh that is emerging as the epicenter of Love Jihad. A 14-year-old Hindu minor was allegedly trapped by Fateh Khan, a Muslim youth who had introduced himself as Aryan Malhotra. Fateh had forged his identity and was living as a tenant at the victim’s house for three years. To pass himself off as Hindu, he would flaunt several religious insignias, including the sacred Hindu thread that is worn around the wrist and tilak on the forehead, and frequented temples. He soon befriended the minor girl of the household, began engaging in sexual relations with her, and then forced her to convert to Islam. The situation was then brought to the notice of other family members, who lodged a police complaint.

2021: Salim, a resident of Sheikhpura village, identified as a Hindu bearing the name Sonu, and tricked a local Hindu woman into a relationship. The Hindu woman was impregnated several times, but Salim forced her to abort every time. She once gave birth to a son, who was killed by Salim and his brother. The couple finally married in 2021, but the Hindu victim did not know either that Sonu was a Muslim or that he was already married. She was shocked to learn these facts after the marriage; Salim also forced a religious conversion on her. Being from an influential family, Salim aka Sonu had gotten their marriage registered with a back date of 2018. During this marriage, the victim was put through unendurable mental and physical tortures; she also bore a girl child, after which, Salim decided in 2021 to marry a Muslim woman and abandon his Hindu wife. Salim has since been arrested and has been charged under the law regarding forced religious conversion and several other sections of the Indian Penal Code.

These are just a few of the scores of such instances that are being reported from every corner of India every month. Sahib Ali posed as Rahul and Shoaib Khan posed as S K Sinha in the capital city to befriend, abduct, molest and take advantage of young Hindu girls. The Uttar Pradesh police formed a special investigation team in September 2020 after 14 Love Jihad cases emerged in Kanpur alone in one year. Banned radical Islamic organizations such as the Popular Front of India and SIMI, which are known for funding terror activities, have come to the notice of the police for having an alleged role in organized Love Jihad cases.

Unfortunately, Love Jihad, despite a multitude of proofs establishing its veracity as a phenomenon, continues to be regarded as fictional in the narrative of the popular media, deceiving people worldwide.

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