Mangalore city has witnessed two attacks by suspected Bajrang Dal men on Muslim youths for allegedly romancing Hindu women, at a time when a Karnataka minister has fanned the “love jihad” fire by speaking of a possible law against it.
Police said four Bajrang Dal workers had been arrested after they dragged a Muslim employee out of the jewellery store he worked in and beat him up on Tuesday, accusing him of engaging in “love jihad” with a Hindu colleague.
“Love jihad” refers to an alleged trend of Muslim youths “luring” Hindu women into romance and marriage in order to convert and radicalise them.
The four accused — Shibin, Chetan, Prakash and Ganesh — had apparently brought along a local policeman and the woman employee’s parents, who watched the assault.
No action has been taken against the policeman. Apparently, someone had “tipped off” the assaulters about the Muslim youth “constantly chatting up” the Hindu woman who had been recruited just a few weeks ago.
The arrests were made on Sunday — five days after the incident — on a complaint from the victim. On Saturday, suspected Bajrang Dal activists thrashed two Muslim youths for “roaming around” with two Hindu girls in Mangalore city late in the night.
The girls, who are sisters and Class XII students at an evening college, apparently planned to eat out with the two youths.
This story was originally published in telegraphindia.com . Read the full story here
