Representative image showing prison.
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Indore: Absconding city Congress councillor Anwar Qadri, accused of funding 'love jihad', should surrender before police, his party colleague and Leader of Opposition in the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) Chintu Choukse said on Wednesday.
A reward of Rs 20,000 has been announced by police for providing information leading to the arrest of the councillor, who is absconding for nearly two months.
The Leader of Opposition, who is a Congress politician, came out in support of Qadri and alleged the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has implicated him in the 'love jihad' case to divert people's attention from basic issues.
Talking to reporters, he said, "The BJP government is presenting Qadri as the biggest criminal of the state, but in municipal corporation conferences, he always spoke in support of cows and temples." Chouksey claimed Qadri was implicated in the alleged 'love jihad' funding case at the BJP's behest in the same manner as false charges were being framed against opposition politicians across the country by misusing law enforcement agencies to divert people's attention from key issues.
Asked why Qadri has been running away from the law, the Leader of Opposition replied, "Of course this is a mistake. He should surrender." Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava said on Tuesday a proposal will be presented in the upcoming meeting of the civic body to cancel Qadri's membership because his continuation as a councillor is not in the interest of the city given the serious allegations against him, including the 'love jihad' case.
The term 'love jihad' is used by right-wing organisations to claim that Muslim men lure women of other religions into love traps to convert them to Islam.
A police official said two young men from the city -- Sahil Sheikh and Altaf Shah -- had allegedly admitted during interrogation in June that Qadri had given them Rs 3 lakh to convert girls.
The duo was arrested in separate cases on charges of raping two women and other offences.
On the basis of statements given by the two men, a case was registered against Qadri for being involved in a conspiracy to convert girls/women through financial allurement. Since then, the Congress councillor is absconding.
The official said after Qadri absconded, the district administration issued an order to arrest him under the National Security Act (NSA).
He said 18 criminal cases have been registered against the Congress councillor in different police stations in the city.