Hindu Outfit in Tripura Blocks Highway Demanding Law Against 'Love Jihad'

Agartala, Tripura: Days after the Uttar Pradesh government formally adopted an ordinance against ‘love jihad’, the Hindu Jagaran Manch has demanded a similar law in the state, claiming that there is a rising trend of forced religious conversions in the name of marriage.

More than 300 members of the Hindutva outfit on Friday blocked the National Highway 8 (NH 8) at the Udaipur sub-division, which is around 50 km from Agartala, of Tripura’s Gomati district protesting against the alleged failure of the police and administration to arrest people accused of ‘love jihad’ – a theory without evidence that is pushed by right-wing groups that Muslim men are attempting to enter into relationships with Hindu women and eventually oversee their conversion to Islam.

The outfit alleged that at least nine "incidents" were reported to the police since the imposition of the COVID-19 lockdown in March this year, but no one has been arrested.

Speaking to reporters, Hindu Jagaran Manch Pradesh president Uttam Dey claimed that ‘love jihad' was a threat to society.

“After the COVID-19-lockdown was imposed in March this year, at least nine such cases were reported to the police across the state. However, the police failed to arrest a single accused in these cases. Protesting this, we have blockaded NH 8. Only a law can curb the menace of love jihad,” Dey said.

Denying the allegations by the Hindu Jagaran Manch, an on-duty police officer from the Tripura police headquarters here said there were no instances of ‘love jihad’ reported at any police station in the last four months in the state.

Also read: The History of 'Love Jihad': How Sangh Parivar Spread a Dangerous, Imaginary Idea

However, the police said that a case had been registered with the Bishalgarh police station two weeks ago, accusing a Muslim man of abducted a Hindu woman. The duo travelled to Bangalore via flight, where they were identified. However, it turned out that the woman was an adult and had willfully travelled with the man.

In another incident, a case was registered at Boxanagar in Sepahijala district of the state in October this year where a minor girl who was allegedly abducted, was later recovered from Durlabhnarayan village in the same district. But the accused is yet to be arrested.

At Friday’s Hindu Jagaran Manch protest, Udaipur sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Dhruva Nath told The Wire that the agitators expressed concern over such incidents and asked why the prime accused in the Boxanagar case was still absconding.

“The protestors have demanded a strict law against ‘love jihad’. In the Boxanagar incident, police have successfully recovered the missing girl. However, the accused is yet to be arrested and the investigation is ongoing in the issue,” SDPO Nath said.

Earlier in 2018, the Viswa Hindu Parishad, another Hindutva outfit, had claimed that migrant workers from Assam and Bangladesh, who were working in brickfields of Tripura’s south district, had been deployed to carry out ‘love Jihad’ and cow slaughter. It did not provide any evidence to support its claims.

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