The Chikkamagaluru Police registered a case against the four culprits, who according to the Muslim boy’s complaint, not only obstructed his marriage but also assaulted him without provocation even though both the girl and the boy being adults were going to get married of their own free will.
Syed Ali Mujtaba
CHIKKAMAGALURU – In yet another case of moral policing, Hindutva men stopped a Hindu girl and a Muslim boy from getting their ‘interfaith’ marriage registered at the sub-registrar’s office in Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka on Wednesday.
Both the Muslim boy and his Hindu fiancée, residents of Lakshmipuram in the Chikkmagaluru taluk, are adults. They were in love with each other and planned to get married through court registration under the Special Marriage Act 1954.
The couple had arrived at the sub registrar’s office situated on Ratnagiri road in Chikkamagaluru to enter into wedlock when four members of various Hindu organisations intervened and thwarted their plan terming their match a case of “Love Jihad”. They didn’t stop there but took the couple to the police station demanding penal action against the interfaith couple as if they had committed a crime.
On hearing the news, members of various organisations gathered at the police station and briefed the police about the entire matter. Convinced by their explanation, the Basavanahalli police registered a case against the four Hindu men on the basis of the complaint filed by the Muslim youth.
Speaking to the media, Uma Prashanth, Superintendent of Police, Chikkamagaluru, said a case had been registered against the four culprits, who according to the boy’s complaint, not only obstructed his marriage but also assaulted him without provocation. She justified the police action saying since both the girl and the boy being adults were going to get married of their own free will, the intruders had no locus standi to intervene in their matters.
“The boy has alleged that the accused assaulted him and stopped the marriage. We are taking their statements for further investigation,” the Superintendent of Police added.
The police are on the lookout for the four men named in the complaint.
Meanwhile, Shobha, the bride’s mother, told the media that she was not averse to the marriage of her daughter to the Muslim boy as both like each other. “I only want my daughter to come back to the village after getting married as she is the pillar of my house. I wish her all the best. I’m not unduly bothered about what others have to say about her decision,” she said.
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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist who can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com
