Will initiate strict action against love jihad cases, says Uttarakhand CM Dhami

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday said that the ‘love jihad’ cases that have come to the light in the state will be dealt with an iron fist.

“We have called for strict probe and action against love jihad cases. Today, we will chair a high-level meeting with DGP and other officials,” Dhami said.

#WATCH | Dehradun: We have called for strict probe and action against love jihad cases. Today we will chair a high-level meeting also with DGP and other officials”: Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami pic.twitter.com/JVeSCMagE6

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) June 9, 2023

Several cases of ‘love jihad’ have come to light in the state of late and the unrest over the issue is refusing to die down.

In one such case from Uttarkashi’s Purola town, two youths allegedly attempted to abduct a local Hindu girl. Two boys namely Obaid, a Muslim, and another Jitender Saini were caught by locals with a Class IX local girl on 27 May.

An FIR was lodged against them under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, on the complaint of the girl’s family, and they were sent to jail the same day.

However, the right-wing Hindu bodies charged the youth with enticing away a minor girl and called it a case of ‘love jihad’ prompting bandhs, demonstrations, and protests across the district.

The markets remained closed in Barkot, Naogaon, Purola, and Damta in protest against the incident on a call given by the Yamuna Valley Hindu Jagriti Sangathan for a few days.

Later, posters appeared in the shops owned by minority community members to vacate and leave before 15 June in Purola. The posters put up on behalf of Devbhoomi Raksha Abhiyan warned ‘love jehadis’ to vacate their shops by 15 June when a ‘Mahapanchayat’ on the issue has been called by Hindu outfits, according to a report in The Statesman.

The shops were also marked with crosses with black paint (a cross marking signifies elimination). The boards of the shops owned by Muslims were also broken.

According to locals, nine shop owners had asked their Muslim tenants to vacate their premises on the reported persuasion of Swami Darshan Bharati, a right-wing Hindu leader who had been vocal against the minority community. Seven of these shopkeepers have packed their goods and are awaiting transport, said the report.

The cases of Muslim youths luring Hindu girls into love trap have also come to the fore in Chamoli district’s Gauchar and Haridwar.

With inputs from agencies

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