War on love leaves no meeting ground in UP
An increase in incidents of ‘love jihad’ has sown seeds of distrust and strained the relations between the two communities
SHAMLI/MAINPURI:
Uttar Pradesh is home to Vrindavan, the theatre of Lord Krishna’s fabled frolics with his female companions, the Gopis.
But going by Priya Gupta and her husband Mohammed Reyaz — a young couple who dared to fall in love ignoring their religious divide — present-day Uttar Pradesh is no more the ideal place for love and courtship. The couple found that out the hard way when they fell in love in 2014.
Their religion stood in their way with village elders opposed to the match. “We regret the timing,” recounts Reyaz, citing the surcharged political situation of the state then. The state was in the midst of holding a bypoll to a Lok Sabha seat vacated by ruling Samajwadi Party patriarch, Mulayam Singh Yadav, and the inter-religious marriage fuelled the tension further in Mainpuri.
The Hindus of Alipur Keta – the village the young couple belonged to – held a panchayat and called for a boycott of all Muslims. Hindu right-wing groups said women of their community were no more safe even in Mulayam Singh’s bastion, and violence rocked Mainpuri for two consecutive days.
It is a different matter that Singh’s nephew, contesting on a SP ticket won. But Reyaz and Priya lost to local hot-heads. They were forced to flee their village and seek shelter in the town of Bhongaon, where they continue to live.
A victim of ‘Love Jihad’ – a campaign by right-wing Hindu groups against alleged Islamist conspiracy to entice Hindu women to their fold – life remains hard for them minus their family and luxuries. Reyaz keeps talking about the `6,000 worth chair he used to sit in his garment shop — a symbol of his lost fortune.
Seema Chauhan, the district president of the RSS-affiliated Durga Vahini, betrays no such regret. She is back at the Kotwali police station with her group of storm troopers, opposing another such interreligious elopement. “There has been a spike of ‘love jihad’ incidents in Mainpuri in the last couple of years. Muslims boys are told to entice our Hindu girls. They are emboldened now because their bhaiyya (Akhilesh Yadav) is the CM,” she said.
“Our girls are simple and don’t understand this ploy. We are trying to protect them,” she added. Inter-religion couples, however, say they are being hunted.
Of more than 12,000 low-intensity communal incidents that rocked the state since 2010, about 15% related to cases of sexual harassment and elopement, including ones that fall within the right-wing definition of ‘love jihad’. Police treats these as missing or kidnapping until the girl gives her statement before the magistrate on whether she went on free-will or was coerced. Unlike the allegations of right-wing groups, no Islamist conspiracy has been found by the police.
There were just 86 ‘love jihad’ cases between 2010 and 2012. But their numbers have multiplied since — the first four months of 2016 have seen 213 cases.
“Love jihad is a bogey raised with elections in mind because the right-wingers feel it can draw sharper lines between Hindus and Muslims,” said Charu Gupta, an associate professor at Delhi University.
During 2014 Lok Sabha polls, ‘love jihad’ was a major issue and it is threatening to do so again in 2017 elections. Ties between the two communities are under strain and windows for a rapprochement are fast closing amid rising distrust.
Two years since Reyaz and Priya eloped, their village is far from normal. “We have stopped interacting with each other,” said Sajjid Ahmed, a shop owner in Alipur Keta. The tension in Alipur Keta is replicated in villages across the state and communities are no longer willing to concede space to the other.
“If you don’t let me have my way, I won’t let you too,” gloated Ishaaq Ahmed of Sirohi village in western UP’s Sambhal district. He and his friends have forced the district administration to switch off the loudspeaker in the local temple after some Hindus opposed decorations at a graveyard. A small matter became a big issue. The Muslims wanted to install some tube lights at the cemetery. The Hindus said no. “We asked them to continue with traditional oil lamps,” pointed out Balram Singh, a villager.
With communities seeking to settle scores with one another, even the smallest of infractions is often blown out of proportion. In Muzaffarnagar, members of two communities fought pitched battle in May after a pet dog chased a man whose owner belonged to the opposite community.
Police records show that there have been 4,149 flare-ups since 2012, triggered by trivial issues such as bicycle theft, urinating in public places and kite flying.
In 2010, there were 278 such cases. Last year, the number jumped to 1,338.
UP police say they have set up peace committees across the state to resolve dif- ferences. But going by the rising number of incidents, peace is far from being secured.
Sujith Pandey, an inspector general of police, said: “Both the communities have hardened their stands and are not willing to concede any space to other. This is leading to serious law and order problem with minor issues leading to communal tension”.