Right-wing outfits that targeted an interfaith couple inside a Bhopal courtroom and assaulted the man over claims of “love jihad” were tipped off about the couple registering their marriage from the notary’s office, The Indian Express has learnt.
While no arrests have been made in connection with the assault, which was caught on camera, the man has been booked on charges of allegedly forcing the woman to convert.
The couple had visited the notary office to get an affidavit made, saying they were getting married of their own will, several sources in the Bhopal district court Bar association and right-wing groups told The Indian Express.
Advocate Ravi Goyal, who was present at the court, said the couple had come from another district to make an affidavit. “Many of our sources kept a watch on the couple, and they were finally tracked near the canteen. We even knew which lawyer was drafting their affidavit. They were trying to make an affidavit stating they wanted to marry of their own will.”
Former Bar Association president Devender Raghav, the legal head of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Madhya Pradesh unit and a former Bajrang Dal activist, told The Indian Express, “We were all present when this happened. Uski seva kari aur police ko bhej diya (He was ‘served’ and sent to the police).”
“When anyone tries to register their marriage, I get informed and their religion is checked. If we find they are from different religions, we activate our network and try to get the Hindu woman to rejoin her family,” he said.
Chandra Shekhar Tiwari, president of the Sanskriti Bachao Manch, which was among the groups who sent members to the court, alleged that the man had “multiple photographs and contact numbers of Hindu women on his phone and had coerced his partner into marriage”.
The man has been arrested and booked under section 3/5 of the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2021.
A senior police officer said, “No FIR has been registered against the attackers in the video. There is no complaint against them. The man has not given a statement against the attackers so far.”
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com.