In another case of ‘Love Jihad’, a youth has been booked under the month-old anti-conversion law for walking home with a friend after a birthday party in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor. He has been slapped with charges under sections of the SC/ST Act, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the 16-year-old stands firm.
The girl in question told The Indian Express, “I have told this to the magistrate, and I will say this again. Those men had a problem with me walking with my friend. They made videos of me and are now calling it love jihad. I did nothing wrong. I went of my own free will.”
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On December 14, the girl, a Dalit, and her former classmate, a Muslim, were walking back home after a friend’s birthday party, when they were allegedly chased by a group of men, beaten with sticks and questioned. They were questioned about their religion.
The FIR, registered allegedly on a complaint by the girl’s father, stated that the accused “induced the girl to elope with him” with the “intention to marry and convert her”.
