A Hindutva mob harassed an interfaith couple after spotting them together on a public road in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore city. Although the incident occurred on January 9, it came to light on Monday, January 13 after a video of the assault surfaced on social media platforms.
The Hindutva group accosted the young couple alleging them of engaging in “love jihad”. The video shows the group grabbing the man by his collar and slapping him repeatedly. The group leader was seen scolding the girl and demanding an explanation for her association with the man.
Despite the girl’s constant attempt to clarify that the man was her friend, the leader persisted in his aggressive behaviour, forcing her to make a statement on camera and call her parents to intervene.
According to the reports, both were handed over to the police though details about any legal proceedings remain unclear.
These incidents depict an increasing trend in communal strife where personal relationships are being subjected to public scrutiny and violent intervention. The disturbing trend of roles of vigilantes and mob violence undermines citizens’ freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution of India.
Interfaith couples often face attacks and mob violence under the guise of combating “love jihad”.
“Love jihad” is a conspiracy theory that accuses Muslim men of intentionally and strategically alluring and entrapping non-Muslim women with the intent to “convert them” to Islam and marry them as part of an “Islamisation project”.
