Bhopal assault accused not linked to Hindutva groups, say police
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Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Police has said that it has not yet found any links between the seven persons arrested for assaulting a Muslim man inside a hotel in Bhopal and any Hindutva organisations, The Indian Express reported.
The incident took place on May 10, when a group of men allegedly accused 27-year-old Arif Khan of “love jihad” while he was with a Hindu woman, before assaulting him. The term “love jihad” is a Hindutva conspiracy theory alleging that Muslim men lure Hindu women into relationships for conversion. The Union Home Ministry has informed Parliament that Indian law does not define such a term.
Govindpura Station House Officer Awadhesh Singh Tomar said one of the seven accused is a juvenile, while the others have been identified as Brijendra Prajapati, Prateek Chouksey, Lalaram Meena, Ramesh, Ajay and Aman. He added that representatives of right-wing organisations had clarified that the individuals were not members of any such groups.
The officer also stated that Khan had prior criminal cases against him and had recently been released from jail. He was allegedly involved in two mobile phone theft cases, he said.
Following the incident, an FIR was registered at Govindpura police station based on complaints against unidentified persons. Earlier reports had claimed that individuals linked to the Bajrang Dal were involved in the assault, during which Khan was allegedly paraded on the street with ink and cow dung smeared on his face.
Videos circulating on social media showed the attackers raising slogans of “Jai Shri Ram” and assaulting Khan in the presence of police personnel, as officers attempted to intervene, according to reports.
The Bajrang Dal is part of a network of Hindutva organisations associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological parent of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
The woman present with Khan later told police that she had met him voluntarily and had not faced coercion or forced conversion, adding that she had gone to the hotel of her own free will.
A social worker, Mohammad Uwais Rahmani, filed one of the complaints that led to the FIR, saying he was disturbed by the viral video. He said he did not personally know Khan and acted out of concern for the sentiments of the Muslim community.
Rahmani also stated that Khan told him he was falsely accused of “love jihad” and subjected to indecent treatment. In his complaint, he alleged that the accused identified themselves as Bajrang Dal members, stopped Khan because he was Muslim, and forcibly stripped him, applied black paint and cow dung on him, and paraded him publicly while raising objectionable slogans.
The complaint further alleged that Khan was assaulted, threatened with death, and forced to endure humiliation while videos were recorded and circulated. It also stated that he suffered physical injuries and mental trauma, and that the incident created fear and insecurity for his family and disturbed communal harmony in the city.