Inter-faith couple 'assaulted' by saffron activists

An inter-faith couple was reportedly "assaulted" by the saffron activists and the police when they approached the court of additional district magistrate (ADM) in Uttar Pradesh's Bijnore town, about 400 km from here, for getting their marriage registered.

According to reports, the woman, who was a Hindu, was "thrashed" by activists of the saffron outfit Bajarang Dal (BD), when they came to know about her religion.

"I was slapped, abused and humiliated by them (BD activists), who forcibly took me to a room near the ADM office... they asked me to abandon my husband," the woman, who was a native of Chandigarh town, said.

She also said the two lady cops ''assaulted" her while she was at the police station.

The couple's lawyer said the saffron activists assaulted the couple in front of the cops.

He said that the couple had moved the Allahabad High Court last month seeking protection. Their petition was accepted and the court had asked them to get their marriage registered in the district court in Bijnore.

Though the incident had occurred a few days ago, it came to light on Friday after a video showing the assault on the woman went viral on social networking sites.

District police chief Umesh Kumar Singh, however, refuted the allegations of assault by the police though he admitted that some saffron activists had "misbehaved" with the couple.