A case of love jihad has surfaced from Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district. A Muslim youth in the Sadalpur area befriended a Hindu girl by hiding his identity and as their relationship progressed he pressured her to embrace Islam for marriage. Afterwards, she lodged a complaint at the police station based on which a First Information Report was filed and the offender was arrested along with his friend.
Shahrukh, a resident of Chowki Sewara, pretended to be Rohit to seduce the victim who is from Sadalpur. However, she started to distance herself from him upon learning his true identity after which he began to threaten her.
He had taken several photographs of her and warned that he would edit them and then post them on social media. He continuously forced her to talk to him and meet him. He even pushed her to convert and tie the knot with him. On 20th June in the late hours, she went to a medical shop to buy medicines. The store belonged to a friend of the perpetrator, named Junaid from Kesur. Shahrukh arrived there at the same time and started harassing her which scared her and she started to scream. People heard her cries and gathered at the spot but he escaped.
Hindu activists rushed to the location after learning about the matter and the girl submitted a complaint with their help. The two Muslim males have been named as accused by the cops. Junaid was also forcing her to change her religion and also issued death threats when she refused to comply. Sadalpur police station in-charge Savita Chaudhary said that the woman sells vegetables on a cart and Shahrukh used to visit her under the guise of purchasing vegetables and made friends with her by claiming to be a Hindu.
Afterwards, he gradually began to talk to her about Islam. He used to praise the religion and refer to it as “very good” and even encouraged others to convert. Now, the authorities have booked him and his companion under various sections of the Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Act 2021 in addition to molestation. The cops carried out raids and apprehended the duo. Hindu organisations have demanded strict action in the case to ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the future.
