On Tuesday (27th February), the police arrested two accused for carrying out a deadly knife attack on a young Hindu man named Praveen Singh Sisodia in Rajsamand city of Rajasthan.
The accused were identified as Saddam and Sameer Mohammed. As per reports, the duo attacked the victim with a knife on Monday (26th February) and attempted to murder him for marrying a Muslim woman.
While speaking about the matter, Kankroli police station in-charge Hanuwant Singh Sodha informed that Praveen Singh Sisodia married a woman from a ‘different community.’
#राजसमन्द#NewsUpdate#RajsamandPolice pic.twitter.com/Yc5xSy5FFa
— Rajsamand Police (@RajsamandPolice) February 28, 2024
The victim, who is a resident of Chandradeep Colony in Kankroli, was attacked brutally when he returned to Rajsamand city after several months of his marriage.
The attack on Sisodia was orchestrated by the family members of the Muslim woman. The victim sustained injuries to his leg after being attacked with a knife by Saddam and Sameer Mohammed. Thereafter, the attackers fled the crime scene.
On receiving information about the matter, the police rushed to the spot and admitted the victim to R.K. Govt Hospital in Rajsamand. They formed a special team and began a probe into the matter.
The arrest of the accused
Based on Sisodia’s complaint, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against Saddam and Sameer Mohammed. The police arrested the duo on Tuesday (27th February) and produced them before a local court, following which they were sent on remand.
A minor was also detained by the police and sent to a children’s care home. The police are now interrogating the accused and trying to recover the weapon used in the crime. Saddam and Sameer Mohammed are residents of Kisan Mohalla in Kankroli.
‘Bhagwa love trap’ conspiracy theory and its aftermath
‘Bhagwa Love trap’ is 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 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 several 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 published an investigative report, highlighting how Islamists are using Whatsapp groups to target Hindu-Muslim couples.
