Several Adivasi and Hindu organisations on Friday reached the Malegaon city police station in Nashik District to seek strict action against a person named Imran Sheikh, whom they accused of abducting a minor tribal girl in the month of October. The organisations, including the ‘Eklavya Adivasi Veer Samaj’ and ‘Eklavya Adivasi Bahuddeshiya Samajik Sanstha’, submitted a memorandum to the Upper District Magistrate, stating that the police are not taking the case seriously because the victim girl belongs to the tribal community.
The tribal organisations also stated that the matter is about love jihad and that they will conduct a severe protest march on Monday (November 14) if the police fail to find the victim and take action against the accused. On October 24, a minor girl aged 14 suspiciously went missing from her home. The family members of the girl lodged a police complaint on October 25 and stated that the girl had been abducted by a person named Imran Sheikh. The girl’s mother who works on daily wages also demanded severe police action against the accused.
#LoveJihad Minor Bhil tribal girl abducted by Imran Sheikh from Malegao under @SPNashikRural; FIR lodged on Oct 25th, police continuously intimidating n coercing girl’s family, perpetrator not arrested so far. We urge @Dev_Fadnavis @KanoongoPriyank @DrSumerSolanki1 to intervene pic.twitter.com/xmOkg76OLh
— Legal Rights Observatory- LRO (@LegalLro) November 11, 2022
According to the complaint filed by the girl’s mother, the girl had suspiciously gone missing on the morning of October 24. “She was sitting with her younger sister in the drawing room. I went to my daily job of garbage picking at around 6 in the morning. When I returned, I saw that my elder daughter was not there in the drawing room. On asking the younger ones, she said that did have gone to the washroom. And she never returned,” the mother of the victim girl said in her complaint. She also suspected that Imran Sheikh has abducted her daughter.
The Maharashtra Police then filed an FIR against an unknown person for kidnapping a minor bhil tribal girl under section 363 (punishment for kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. However, the family members of the girl stated that the girl had been abducted by Sheikh and that the Police has failed to launch an investigation into the case. “The FIR has been filed on October 25 and it’s 11 November today. No action has been taken by the Police. Instead, they are calling us continuously for interrogation when they actually should call Sheikh and his family members,” the woman said to the DM on Friday. She was accompanied by the members of the Adivasi organization and also other Hindu organisations in Malegaon.
The members of the Adivasi organization alleged that the police are not taking the case seriously. “This is a clear case of love jihad and the Police also know it. They are trying to conceal the matter under some unidentified political pressure. It’s been 14-15 days now and no action has been taken against Sheikh. Instead, the family of the girl is being harassed,” said Machindra Govind Shirke of ‘Eklavya Adivasi Veer Samaj’.
“The girl is a minor and has been abducted by the accused. We have requested the Police to look into the matter immediately and if no action is taken within the next two days, a massive protest will be organized on Monday (November 14). The Police must find the girl within two days,” he added. The National Commission of Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has taken cognizance of the incident and has assured to take action in the case.
Noted!
— प्रियंक कानूनगो Priyank Kanoongo (@KanoongoPriyank) November 11, 2022
Notably, the Police filed an FIR under section 363 (punishment for kidnapping) of the IPC, 1860 but failed to add the relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, despite knowing that the victim girl is a minor.
Meanwhile, the police are said to have formed three units to search for the missing girl and also to nab the suspected accused. Team Opindia tried to call the police to confirm the details of the investigation but the calls remained unanswered. Further investigations into the case are underway.
Love Jihad in Jharkhand: Minor girl goes missing; her mother accuses Shahid Ansari of kidnapping her and forcing her to convert to his religion
An eerily similar case was reported from Jharkhand’s Hazaribag district earlier today. A mother of a 16-year-old, a resident of Hazaribag district in Jharkhand, filed a missing complaint on November 7, 2022. According to the complaint filed at Keredari police station in Hazaribag, she has accused a youth named Shahid Ansari and his cousin Arbaz Ansari of kidnapping her minor daughter.
She alleged that Shahid has abducted her with the intention to forcefully convert her religion and thereafter marry her. The minor reportedly went missing on November 4, 2022. OpIndia has a copy of the complaint submitted by the victim’s mother.
The woman alleged that even six months ago, the accused sent his parents to threaten them that they would abduct their daughter if they did not concede to their demands. According to the victim’s mother, the accused’s parents were accompanied by the District Sadar of Anjuman Muslimeen Committee, Habib Miyan. Shahid’s parents and Habib Miyan then threatened them and warned that if they wanted to continue staying in the village, they would have to live on their terms.
