Jaipur: After three FIRs were registered on February 16, the police in Vijay Nagar, a town in Rajasthan’s Beawar district, arrested and detained a group of Muslim men – seven adults and three minors – for allegedly sexually assaulting and blackmailing five minor girls from the Hindu community over a period of time.
The incident led to protests by Hindutva groups, who demanded “bulldozer action” against the accused and also termed the incident as “love jihad”.
Right-wing groups often use the bogey of ‘love jihad’ while referring to interfaith romantic relationships between Muslim men and Hindu women. The term has been invented by Hindutva groups to accuse Muslim men of entrapping Hindu women on the pretext of love.
Three days after the arrests, the Vijay Nagar municipality began issuing notices to the families of the 10 accused. The notices issued over February 20 and 21 asked the families to submit proof of ownership of the houses where they resided.
If the documents are not presented, the municipality will conduct the action of removing illegal constructions/encroachments, and all the expenses would be realised from the families of the accused, said the notices.
On February 20, a notice was also issued to the administration of the Jama Masjid in Rajnagar area of the town, asking it to provide documents pertaining to proof of ownership of the mosque within a period of three days.
“Otherwise, after the stipulated time period, action will be taken under the Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 2009, for which you yourself will be responsible,” says the notice issued to the mosque written in Hindi.
Activists have slammed the municipality’s actions and have said that any imminent act of demolition will be a violation of Supreme Court’s guidelines on demolitions.
‘Protests’ by Hindutva groups
According to the police, the accused and the victims connected through social media, later exchanged numbers and subsequently some of the girls were sexually assaulted and blackmailed.
“We have arrested seven people while three minor accused have been detained. All the accused are between 19-21 years of age. Three FIRs have been registered by the five victims. The incident came to light when the family members of one of the girls saw her talking on a mobile phone and after questioning her, they got to know about the incident,” said deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Sajjan Singh.
Singh added that the FIRs have been registered under relevant sections of the POCSO Act and the BNS.
The police had registered the FIRs in the case on February 16, while the arrests were made a day later on February 17, said Karan Singh, the SHO of the Vijay Nagar police station where the FIRs have been registered. All the accused and arrested persons belong to the Muslim community.
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Following the arrest of the accused, Hindutva groups gave a call for a bandh and held a massive demonstration in Vijay Nagar on February 21.
“They have conspired against our Hindu girls, engaged in love jihad. It is a big racket and all the accused must be arrested. The entire Hindu community demands that bulldozers raze their houses, illegal properties should be seized and everyone arrested,” one of the protesters told reporters during the protest.
The ABVP, the student wing of the RSS, too held protests in Ajmer, demanding action against the accused.
When asked about the allegation that the victims were also asked to convert by the accused, DSP Sajjan Singh said that investigation is being conducted on this aspect.
‘What purpose is being served by asking a 100-year-old mosque about proof of its ownership?’
Three days after the arrests, on February 20, the municipality issued the notices to the families of the accused, along with the mosque and a graveyard.
The notices issued to the families of the accused urge them to present all documents, record and approved maps of their residence at the office of the municipality to prove their ownership.
“We fully cooperated with the police and presented our brother before the officials. Whether he is innocent or guilty is to be decided by the law and court. But it is unfair that our houses are being targeted. We have all the requisite documents and are submitting them before the authorities. We fear that demolition would be conducted by unfairly targeting us. We have not committed any crime,” the brother of one of the accused who works as a mechanic told The Wire.
While their families have been asked to produce documents pertaining to their residences, the accused were assaulted by local advocates when they were being presented at an Ajmer court after their arrest.
“We have never seen such a disruption of communal harmony in Vijay Nagar. No member of the Muslim community is standing with the accused and we have condemned the crime. But the administration is under pressure from Hindutva groups and because of that reason, the notices are being issued. What purpose is being served by asking a 100-year-old mosque about proof of its ownership? Deliberately a religious colour is being given to the crime,” said Akhatyar Ali, a government school teacher and a member of the local Muslim community in Vijay Nagar.
Officials said that along with the mosque, a notice has also been sent to a local graveyard after the incident.
“We have sent notices to the families of the accused, the Jama Masjid and a local graveyard, asking them to furnish proof of ownership to verify whether they are built illegally. Any decision about potential demolition of encroachment will be taken after verifying the documents,” Pratap Singh, executive officer (EO) of the Vijay Nagar Municipality told The Wire.
Singh added that a local cafe, where the accused allegedly met the victims was also seized by the municipality and encroachments around it were removed.
Activists condemn issuance of notices, say efforts being made to communalise incident
Activists have condemned the issuance of notices and have said that efforts are being made to communalise the incident.
“The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) demands the immediate halt of the potential bulldozer action in the town of Vijayanagar, Beawar district. Notably, the Municipality has issued 10 notices related to encroachment to the accused and some of their family members, as well as to the mosque, soon after the alleged blackmail incident,” said PUCL national president Kavita Srivastava in a statement.
“The sudden issuance of these notices raises serious questions about the intentions of the administration. There is a fear of bulldozers being used, despite the Supreme Court’s clear directives in its order dated November 13, 2024,” Srivastava added.
On November 13 last year, the Supreme Court had said that no demolition should be carried out without a prior show-cause notice returnable either in accordance with the time provided by the local municipal laws or within 15 days’ time from the date of service of such notice.
The apex court had ruled that it was “totally unconstitutional” to demolish a person’s house without due process of law merely because they were accused or convicted in a criminal case.
The PUCL demanded that the administration should act impartially and without any external pressure.
“PUCL does not support the alleged blackmail and violence incident in Vijayanagar and demands that the law be enforced, a fair investigation be conducted, and the principles of natural justice be upheld so that justice is served to the victim. However, it has been observed that efforts are being made to communalise the incident in Vijayanagar, which PUCL strongly condemns,” said Srivastava.
“Despite inflammatory comments being made on social media and by certain individuals, the police have not taken any action. Additionally, no cases have been filed against lawyers who attacked the police and the accused,” Srivastava added.
