Even as they insisted that they are not looking to make “love jihad” an election issue in Maharashtra, the Sri Ram Sene and the Hindu Janjagruti Samiti claimed Friday that at least 22 such cases were registered in Maharashtra over the past five years.
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Sri Ram Sene chief Pramod Muthalik called for a high-level probe by the Central government into alleged instances of “love jihad”. Citing information obtained from the Maharashtra Police through the Right to Information law, he said such cases were registered in the state between 2008 and 2013 following “complaints from the parents of women who had run away from home”.
“The number of cases may be low, but it’s because most cases are not even reported,” he said.
The Sri Ram Sene chief refused to comment on whether the BJP’s use of “love jihad” as an election plank during the Uttar Pradesh bypolls had backfired, but he targeted Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for saying he was not aware of the term.
“It’s not correct for such a senior person to say he doesn’t know what is love jihad. He is talking without thought,” Muthalik said, promising to bring families of “victims” to the Union Home Minister’s doorstep.
“This is an organised crime. There is money coming from the Gulf and other countries to enable a gang of Muslim men trap Hindu women, marry them and then use them for crime including terror,” Muthalik said.