Inter-religion marriage kicks up storm in Haryana

A teenage Hindu girl marrying a Muslim man one-and-half times her age in Haryana has triggered tensions in Haryana’s Ferozepur Jhirka in Mewat. Hindu outfits are up in arms against the marriage terming it as a classic case of ‘love jihad’.

The couple, facing threat to life, has moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court in Chandigarh. The girl has defended the marriage, rubbishing the claims of 'love jihad'.

The 19-year-old Hindu girl married 32-year-old Akil, a Muslim and father of two children, a tailor by profession. A second-year graduate student, she is standing with her husband even as a case of kidnapping has been registered against him.

A Mahapanchayat held a few days ago issued a diktat asking the Hindu- Muslim couple to part ways. The Muslim family faces ostracization, it is alleged.

Commercial establishments and markets were closed in the area, and blockages were staged in protest, on the Delhi-Alwar highway. A few days ago, hundreds of supporters of the Hindu outfits sought that the girl be returned to her parents.

“It is a clear case of love jihad. We cannot let our girls be taken away after religious conversions,” the Jan Sangharsh Samiti spearheading the issue said. The Samiti has written to CM Manohar Lal Khattar seeking his intervention.

On August 14, the Hindu girl went ‘missing’, after which her family filed a police complaint, and complained that she has been forced to convert to Islam. The police have been instructed by the court to ensure the safety of the couple.

The girl released a video saying that Akil was the love of her life. “I am not a commodity to demand me back. I have chosen my husband. As an adult, I can choose my life partner... I won’t return,” she said in the video.