A major outrage erupted in Madhya Pradesh’s Damoh after a case of alleged love jihad involving a 42-year-old Muslim man Mubarik Khan and a 22-year-old Hindu girl Shruti Tiwari came to the fore. On Saturday (13th January) Hindu rights group Sanatan Sangh and activist Updesh Rana led a protest near Ambedkar Chauraha.
According to media reports, the girl’s family has alleged that Mubarak Khan, a resident of Kala Tola came to their home with a knife on 15th-16th December last year and “abducted” their daughter. The duo then entered into a live-in agreement and started staying together as live-in partners. Meanwhile, the girl’s family approached the police to recover their daughter. Subsequently, a missing persons case was registered. The Hindu groups staged a protest following which Damoh Police found the girl and sent her to One Stop Centre for counselling. Reports say that Shruti met Mubarak for the first time in Bhopal.
Notably, some media reports earlier claimed that the police were not allowing the girl’s parents to meet her. A ZeeNews report says that since Mubarak and Shruti have furnished their live-agreement affidavit and the girl is an adult, they cannot coercively separate them.
According to the affidavit signed by the Hindu girl to stay in a live-in relationship with Mubarak, if in future they decide to get married, their wedding would be performed in a Shariah-complaint Nikah ceremony. Furthermore, the affidavit dated 18th December 2023 reads that in case a rift arises between the two and they decide to part ways, they would not file complaints against each other, demand maintenance and raise claims over each other’s money or properties.
Damoh Shocker: 22-year-old Shruti Tiwari has signed an affidavit to live-in with 41-year-old Mubarak Khan. The document states if anything goes wrong in future she cannot register complaint against Mubarak. Also, if they wish to have marriage it will only be an Islamic wedding. pic.twitter.com/loGBA1tQ0n
— Subhi Vishwakarma (@subhi_karma) January 14, 2024
Meanwhile, the Hindu activists told the media they talked to the girl and she reportedly claimed to have been lured by Mubarak Khan into eloping with him, however, she expressed her wish to return to her parents. CSP Abhishek Tiwari arrived at the protest site and heard the demands of the demonstrators. Subsequently, the Hindu activists informed the police about the same and the girl was handed over to her parents.
Moreover, Sanatan Sangh leader Updesh Rana said that the police should monitor Mubarak Khan’s activities and would ensure that the police do so. Rana further claimed that love jihad campaigns are being launched in Damoh in an organised fashion. In reference to cases like Love Jihad in Damoh, the Hijab scandal of Ganga Jamna School and religious conversion, Rana raised concerns about the role of the government administration. He added that amidst a surge in love jihad cases in the region, Hindu parents should impart the right values to their children.
