The couple had been in a consensual relationship for over two years and decided to solemnise their union under the Special Marriage Act
NEW DELHI — In yet another incident highlighting rising intolerance and vigilantism surrounding interfaith relationships in Uttar Pradesh, a group of right-wing Hindutva men assaulted a couple in Uttar Pradesh’s Farrukhabad district on Wednesday. The duo was on its way to register their marriage in a government office, reports reaching here said on Thursday.
Mohammed Rehan and Pragathi were heading towards a district court when a mob of Hindutva supporters surrounded them and started accusing them of ‘love jihad’. The woman was wearing a burqa, further enraging the attackers, reports said.
In #UttarPradesh's #Farrukhabad, #Hindutva extremists assaulted an interfaith couple, accusing them of "#LoveJihad."
— Hate Detector 🔍 (@HateDetectors) April 16, 2025
The couple were on their way to the district court to get married. pic.twitter.com/xnJi5S0fWm
The couple had been in a consensual relationship for over two years and had decided to solemnise their union under the Special Marriage Act (SMA), media reports said.
According to a witness, the pair was accosted just outside the district registrar’s office by a group of self-proclaimed members of a Hindutva outfit, who accused the man of “love jihad”— a term popularised by far-right groups to describe unfounded claims of Muslim men luring Hindu women into relationships for religious conversion.
The Hindutva supporters allegedly pulled Rehan off his bike as Pragathi attempted to intervene. However, Rehan gave the attackers a slip, leaving Pragathi at the mercy of the marauding mob.
On receiving information, the police reached the spot and tried to calm the attackers. They took Pragathi, 26, to the Kakori police station in Lucknow, where she registered a complaint.
“We were simply trying to exercise our legal right to marry under the Constitution,” the woman was quoted by local media as saying.
Under the Special Marriage Act, couples of different religions can marry without religious conversion, and any obstruction in the process constitutes a criminal offense, legal experts said.
Wednesday’s attack follows a spate of similar incidents across northern India, where right-wing groups have been increasingly policing interfaith relationships, often with impunity.
