In yet another case of love jihad, the Uttar Pradesh police have arrested an Islamist for not only raping a minor Hindu girl but also forcefully converting her to Islam. The accused, identified as Chand Mohammad, is a native of the Amroha district of Uttar Pradesh. He changed the name of the minor to Shabnam before marrying her, as per Islam.
The accused raped the minor multiple times before converting her. The complaint in this case was lodged by an Amroha-based NGO called Nari Utthan Kendra. Usha Sharma, a member of the NGO, lodged an FIR against Chand Mohammad.
Following this complaint, the police have booked Chand under sections of the IPC and POCSO.
On January 27, Chand, a resident of Shahpur Kalan in Hasanpur Kotwali, exerted pressure on a teenage Hindu girl residing in Sambhal’s Rajpura police station area to marry him. Subsequently, he abducted the girl and took her to the Amroha court to have a court marriage. However, their actions came to the attention of Hindu activists from the Bajrang Dal, who suspected them of being involved in what they termed “love jihad.”
Responding to this, District Convenor Kushal Chaudhary, Co-Convenor Virendra Kumar, and Abhishek, along with other members of the organization and a significant portion of the local community, arrived at the scene demanding strict action against the accused.
After attempting to flee, the accused was apprehended by Hindu workers. He was subsequently turned over to the police for further investigation and necessary legal procedures. Meanwhile, the girl was brought before the Child Welfare Committee to receive medical care and assistance.
A case has been filed under the POCSO Act and the Religious Conversion Act. Additionally, rape charges have been levied against Chand and his associates following a complaint lodged by Nari Utthan Kendra member Usha Sharma.
Subsequent investigations revealed that Chand had coerced the girl into converting to Islam, renaming her Shabnam, and compelling her to undergo a nikah (Islamic marriage). Currently, the girl is under the care and protection of a safe house.
Despite attempts by many propagandists to discredit Love Jihad as merely right-wing conspiracy theories, the abundance of reported cases almost every week highlights a concerning trend: Muslim fundamentalists luring vulnerable Hindu girls under false pretences, subsequently subjecting them to sexual assault and coercing them into converting to Islam.
