Bhubaneswar: A case of Love Jihad has come to light in Joda, located in Odisha’s Keonjhar district. A contractor named Farid from West Bengal lured a local Hindu girl and later pressured her to convert to Islam. When the girl refused to convert, he attempted to abduct her with the help of four youths from Murshidabad.
Local residents foiled the abduction attempt. Following the incident, the girl filed a complaint at the police station, after which five individuals were arrested. Joda Police have taken into custody the main accused, Farid, along with his accomplices Saidul, Jamal Sheikh, Shafikul Sheikh, and Dildar, all of whom hail from Murshidabad, West Bengal.
According to the police, a contractor named Farid from West Bengal, working in the Joda Municipality of Keonjhar district, trapped a 22-year-old local woman from Ward No 1. He established physical relations with her under the pretext of marriage and later began pressuring her to convert to Islam to marry him. When the woman refused to convert, Farid assaulted her and threatened to kill her. He also threatened to release an intimate video of her on social media if she did not convert and marry him. Following these threats, the woman cut off all contact with Farid and began working elsewhere.
Despite this, Farid did not stop pursuing her. Along with four of his associates, he made an attempt to abduct her. On the July 31 morning, while the woman was on her way to work, Farid and his four accomplices intercepted her on the road. They once again pressured her to convert to Islam and marry Farid. They also repeated their threat to release her intimate videos on social media.
When the woman refused to comply, they attempted to forcibly take her to Murshidabad. As they tried to abduct her, she began shouting for help. Hearing her screams, local residents rushed to the spot. Upon seeing the crowd gather, Farid and his four accomplices fled the scene.
Following the incident, the traumatised woman filed a written complaint at the Joda police station. Acting swiftly, the police arrested the main accused, Farid, along with his associates—Saidul, Jamal Sheikh, Shafikul Sheikh, and Dildar.
Tanmay Dash, the state convener of the Hindu Jagran Manch, reacted to the incident by stating that such cases of Love Jihad are on the rise in the state. He emphasised the need for society to remain extra vigilant and urged the government to take strict and necessary action to curb such incidents.
