A Muslim man and a Hindu woman travelling together were forcibly taken off an Ajmer-bound train by Bajrang Dal workers, according to several media reports
The incident occurred on 14 January but the videos surfaced on social media on Tuesday.
The clip purportedly shows the workers thrashing the man and accusing him of ‘Love jihad’.
“Love jihad” is term used by right-wing activists to refer to the alleged campaign of Muslims forcing Hindu girls to convert in the guise of love.
As per Indian Express, the passengers were questioned by Government Railway Police (GRP) and made to sit at the police station until their parents arrived. They were let off after their statements were recorded.
Government Railway Police Superintendent of Police Nivedita Gupta told IANS that Shaikh and the woman were family friends and had known each other for years.
“Your one misunderstanding can spoil my life. I am an adult and work as a teacher in a school, I teach children,” the woman was heard saying in one of the videos. One of the Bajrang Dal men identified as Pintu Kaushal is seen telling her that he was not talking to her, The New Indian Express said in a report.
They have not lodged any complaint against Bajrang Dal members, said the railway police.
The man was identified as Asif Shaikh, owner of a small electronic shop, the woman is a private school teacher.
“After they were brought in to the police station by Bajrang Dal men, who alleged ‘love jihad’, we recorded their statements and as they were both adults and there was no offence, they were allowed to go,” Gupta said. She added that the Bajrang Dal members were not booked as the police did not receive any complaint against them.
Kundan Chandrawat, a local leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad told IANS that they had received “information through reliable sources” that a Muslim man was taking a Hindu woman along with him.
“It is for the protection of our Hindu sisters that our workers intervened,” Chandrawat said. “That is when the man got aggressive. They just took him to the nearest police station.”
This story first appeared on firstpost.com
