A week after a young interfaith couple was brutally attacked by Hindutva outfit members inside the Bhopal district courtroom, justice remains elusive. The Hindu woman involved in the incident, Vaishnavi Dubey, is reportedly missing since the assault. Her Muslim partner Syed Khan now faces criminal charges on an accusation of pressuring her to convert to Islam.
Syed Khan’s ordeal
Twenty-six-year-old Syed Khan battles physical recovery from the injuries he suffered during the merciless attack. However, despite enduring physical and emotional pain Syed Khan focuses primarily on protecting Vaishnavi. Both are natives of Umardha area located in Madhya Pradesh’s Narmadapuram district.
Syed explained they began dating one year ago and had mutually decided to get married. Vaishnavi proposed the idea of a court marriage and after her brother’s approval, she reached out to lawyer Akshay Karan to handle the legal paperwork.
“Vaishnavi told me that we should do a court marriage. So I told her to speak to her family first. She spoke to her brother, who himself had done a court marriage. Her brother gave her the contact number of his lawyer,” Syed was quoted by The Quint.
Syed claimed that the lawyer initially demanded an advance payment of Rs 5,000 for their legal proceedings which he paid. On February 7, the couple travelled roughly four hours to Bhopal to formally register their marriage under the Special Marriage Act.
Upon reaching their destination, they entered unaware that they had gone into a deceitful situation.
Interfaith couple faces betrayal in court
After entering the courtroom, the lawyer collected legal documents from them and demanded an extra payment of Rs 35,000 which Syed willingly paid. Subsequently, the lawyer instructed him to wait as the paperwork was processed inside the courtroom.
Moments later, an agitated mob accompanied by media ambushed the interfaith couple. “Suddenly a mob came in a rush and began striking me without asking any questions. They dragged me and made me perform sit-ups at the police post inside the court. The assailants forcibly took my money and phone from me,” Syed explained.
In a video that has surfaced on social media, middle-aged men of the right-wing group are seen violently assaulting the Muslim young man, repeatedly kicking and striking his head, leaving him critically injured.
Vaishnavi attempted to rescue him but she received physical violence too. “Vaishnavi was dragged away and slapped twice,” Syed added.
Vaishnavi’s last words before disappearance
The police escorted Vaishnavi away as the media kept chasing her while asking biased questions suggesting that Syed had manipulated her into marriage. She denied all allegations while maintaining she had not been coerced in any way.
She told media reporters “Nahi daraa dhamkakar nahi laya hai mye yai (He never scared me nor forced me to stay).” Subsequently, police authorities sent Vaishnavi back with her family and Syed with his brother.
The night of February 7 Syed saw Vaishnavi for the last time. Since then, he says, she has neither stepped out of her home nor is her phone reachable, according to the reports of The Quint.
Lawyers informed Hindutva outfits about interfaith couple
According to the reports, the attack took place after court lawyers informed the right-wing Sanskrit Bachao group and its affiliates, disclosing the couple’s marriage plans and personal details. Upon the tip-off, the extremist group members rushed to the spot and launched a brutal attack on Syed.
Speaking on the case, assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Akshay Chaudhary said, “Advocates in court informed us about a potential ‘Love jihad’ marriage in the court. The police summoned the women, and we are recording statements from the sub-inspector.”
‘Love jihad’ is a term coined by Sangh’s affiliate Hindutva groups to define Hindu women being lured by Muslim men through fake identity to enter a relationship and for being converted to Islam.
No arrests for the assault on interfaith couple
Despite speaking openly to confirm Syed did not force her, police registered a case against him under the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act as there is an allegation of forcible conversion.
On the other hand, Syed filed his complaint to the court via legal counsel on February 12. Syed’s complaint lists Chandrashekhar Tiwari as its main defendant because Tiwari allegedly served as the head of the attacking mob. Tiwari leads Sanskriti Bachao Sangathan as its president while also serving as its Hindutva group flagship.
However, there have been no legal actions against the courtroom attackers despite the violent mob assault on the interfaith couple. The authorities have initiated legal prosecution of Syed Khan, accusing him of religious conversions.
The development triggered concerns about mounting attacks on Indian interfaith. Violence against them is rapidly increasing, particularly under the guise of ‘love jihad’ narratives.
