Attempted 'elopement' which was branded 'love jihad' and triggered Muslim migration from Uttarakhand's Purola

An attempted elopement of a Hindu girl with two youths, one of them a Muslim, in the small town of Purola in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district a few days back, was branded 'love jihad' (Muslim youths marrying Hindu girls on false pretences) and triggered migration of several Muslim families that had been living there for several decades and had shops in the town.

The saffron organisations and local Hindu traders had pasted posters outside the shops owned by the Muslims in Purola asking them to leave the town and also convened a 'mahapanchayat' to protest incidents of ''love jihad''. The 'mahapanchayat' which was scheduled to be held on Wednesday was called off after the state government intervened in the matter and warned the saffron activists of strict action.

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According to the reports, more than a dozen Muslim traders had left Purola fearing reprisals from the locals. Reports also said that the Hindu landlords had asked their Muslim tenants to vacate the shops immediately.

At least two leaders of the BJP minority cell, Zahid, the district BJP minority cell president and Shakeel Ahemd, another senior leader, also vacated their shops. ''I was asked by my Hindu landlord to immediately vacate the shop which I had been running for over four decades,'' Ahmed said.

Some reports said that dozens of Muslims shopkeepers had fled from Purola after the protests.

According to the sources, two youths, one a Hindu and another a Muslim, allegedly 'lured' a minor Hindu girl to elope with them last month. The alleged attempted elopement failed after the locals got wind of the plan. The police arrested the two youths, both residents of Uttar Pradesh's Bijnore district.

The incident acquired a communal colour and demonstrations started in Purola and other nearby smaller towns in the hill state in protest against what the protesters said incidents of ''love jihad''.

Police said that additional security personnel had been deployed in Purola and elsewhere to maintain law and order and demonstrations had been banned. Reports, however, said that tension continued to prevail in the town.