In their statements recorded, most of the victims admitted that they were kept in deception and then forced to convert their religion, the report said
Representational image. AFP
Bareilly: As many as 46 cases of ‘Love Jihad’ have been reported in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly from January 2022 till 10 July, according to a news report.
As per the report in Dainik Jagran, many of these cases have been registered as extortion by police, while victims’ statements tell a different story. In their statements recorded before the child welfare committee, most of the girls admitted that they were kept in deception and then forced to convert their religion, it added.
When asked about this, Priyank Kanoongo, Chairperson, National Commission for Protection Of Child Rights said, “This is not just ‘love jihad’, but human trafficking and grooming. Grooming must be defined in the law as soon as possible and strict punishment be laid out for this”.
There were as many as 250 cases of minors victims in the last six months, out of which 46 girls were lured by men of other religions, as per the report.
On average, at least seven girls in Bareilly were subjected to ‘Love Jihad’ every month, it noted, adding that “eight girls have said on record that Muslim boys posed as Hindus and lured them into a relationship”. The victims got to know about the reality only after leaving homes.
One of the victims is said to be the daughter of a local leader. The report stated that a Muslim boy had come to her house to install CCTV cameras. Later on, the two got into a relationship and on 26 June, the girl left her house with cash and jewellery at night, while the accused kept her at his house.
Later on 28 June, police tracked the accused and arrested him, the report stated, adding that the girl in her statement alleged that the boy’s family members were also involved in the matter.
The Dainik Jagran report shared another case wherein a Muslim boy posed as a Hindu and lured a 15-year-old Hindu girl. The boy reportedly gave a mobile phone as a gift to the victim and started talking to her. He brainwashed her completely and took the teenager with him to Punjab, it added. Later on, the victim reportedly got pregnant and asked her to not talk to her family. However, the girl managed to talk to her parents and inform them about the boy. Her parents later filed a complaint and brought her back from Punjab.
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