On Saturday (August 26), the Bengaluru police arrested a man named Jakir Ahamad after he harassed a burqa-clad Muslim woman for travelling with a Hindu man.
The matter came to light a day earlier on Friday (August 25) when a popular Twitter user (@BefittingFacts) shared the video of the moral policing on X (formerly Twitter).
Jakir had stopped the woman travelling on a bike with a Hindu man and abused her with the choicest of expletives. “What is your name? Roam without this burqa…remove your burqa,” the accused was seen engaging in moral policing.
This is happening in Bangalore.@PriyankKharge, A lady in Burqa is being harassed by muslims for roaming with a Hindu man.
— Facts (@BefittingFacts) August 25, 2023
See the language being used against her. They are literally asking her to remove her burqa.@BlrCityPolice Please take strict action against them. pic.twitter.com/4aJMXLWZXe
The 21-year-old woman stood her ground and retorted back by saying ‘Meri Marzi (My wish to be with this Hindu man).’ However, the abuses and expletives continued.
In his tweet, ‘Befitting Facts’ wrote, “This is happening in Bangalore. Priyank Kharge, a lady in Burqa is being harassed by Muslims for roaming with a Hindu man. See the language being used against her. They are literally asking her to remove her burqa. @BlrCityPolice Please take strict action against them.”
On Sunday (August 27), the Bengaluru police informed that the accused was nabbed within 24 hours. As per a report by Telangana Today, the accused was identified as Jakir Ahamad. A case was lodged against him East Cyber Economic and Narcotics (CEN) Police Station.
Case was registered immediately in Cyber crime police sttaion east Bangalore and within 24 hrs, police have nabbed the accused. @CPBlr @BlrCityPolice @DgpKarnataka @KarnatakaCops
— Dr. Bheemashankar S. Guled, IPS (@DCPEASTBCP) August 27, 2023
Jakir Ahamad, a medicine student in Russia, was booked under the provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and sent to judicial custody. He is a resident of Bangarapet in the Kolar district of Karnataka.
‘Bhagwa love trap’ conspiracy theory and its aftermath
In recent times, a new menace of Islamist mobs attacking Hindu-Muslim couples has come to light. Multiple videos have surfaced on social media where these extremists are seen harassing, abusing, molesting and physically assaulting Hindu men and Muslim women under the garb of combating ‘Bhagwa Love Trap.’
It is based on a baseless theory about Hindu outfits, supposedly training Hindu youth to lure, and entrap Muslim women and turn them into non-Muslims. Opindia has reported that an Islamic cleric by the name of Sajjad Nomani has been making such outrageous claims since 2021.
The conspiracy theory soon took the form of a social media hashtag, which Islamists used to share videos of random hijab-wearing Muslim women and their male Hindu friends/ acquaintances and partners without their consent.
The posts are often accompanied by emotional messages and seek public help in identifying the couples. Soon after, social media was rife with videos of Islamist mobs ambushing random Hindu-Muslim couples.
This would then be followed by heated arguments, physical assault on Hindu men, and even molestation of the Muslim women. The victims have been targeted on roads, restaurants, eateries, and even hotels.
Based on local reports and social media videos, OpIndia has compiled a total of 50 cases (here, here and here) where Hindu men and Muslim women were attacked by extremists under the pretext of the ‘Bhagwa love trap.’
Opindia has recently published an investigative report, highlighting how Islamists are using Whatsapp groups to target Hindu-Muslim couples.
