Muslim man assaulted over interfaith marriage, arrested while Hindutva workers go unpunished
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A Muslim man who had travelled to Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh with his Hindu partner to register their marriage was assaulted within a courtroom by members of Hindutva right-wing outfits, who accused him of engaging in 'love jihad' and forcing the woman to convert, following which he was arrested while his attackers faced no legal action.
The incident, which took place in a busy court, was captured on video and widely circulated online, raising concerns over the targeting of interfaith couples and the impunity enjoyed by extremist groups in such cases.
Police officials revealed that right-wing groups had been alerted about the couple's marriage plans by "sources" and had gathered at the court premises before launching their assault, disrupting the couple’s attempt to complete the legal formalities under the Special Marriage Act.
The man, a resident of Narsinghpur, was overpowered by the mob and subjected to a brutal beating, with attackers repeatedly kicking and striking him, leaving him critically injured, yet authorities failed to take action against the perpetrators and instead initiated an investigation into the couple.
A right-wing organisation that had dispatched members to confront the couple alleged that the man had multiple photographs and contact details of Hindu women on his phone and coerced his partner into marriage, demanding that the police charge him under sections of rape.
Reports indicate that the attack was facilitated by court lawyers who disclosed the couple’s plans and personal details to the extremist groups, leading to a rapid mobilisation that resulted in the violent assault.
The incident in Bhopal was not an isolated case, as similar attacks on interfaith couples occurred elsewhere on the same day, with a Muslim man in Bhopal being harassed by a mob while out with a Hindu female friend, prompting the group to demand his arrest and stage a protest outside the police station when authorities refused to register a case.
In Uttar Pradesh’s Basti district, members of a right-wing organisation heckled a Hindu woman for marrying a Muslim man despite her repeated assertions that the marriage was consensual and legally registered, pressuring her to involve her parents to verify its legitimacy.