Muslim youth beaten up, high drama before police station over allegations of ‘love jihad’

A Muslim youth was beaten up over allegations of “love jihad” and handed over to the police, while his family members and that of the girl allegedly attacked each other. Subsequently, members of Hindutva outfits staged a protest in Hubballi until late evening on Friday (April 3).

Sameer Mulla, a gym trainer from Vijayanagar in Hubballi, has been accused of exploiting a young Hindu girl and was beaten up by members of SSK Samaj (Pattegar community), to which the girl belongs, on Friday.

However, the youth’s family members claimed that both Mulla and the girl were in relationship for the last three years and her parents were well aware of the matter.

On Friday, Sameer was reportedly taken out from his home by a group of people belonging to the SSK community along with members of Hindutva organisations, beaten up, and then handed over to the police. They also subsequently staged a protest seeking his arrest. As the youth has sustained injuries, he has been admitted to KMCRI Hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile, a video clip has surfaced, in which the girl has accused the youth of exploiting her after giving her a sedative drug. The accused, however, has alleged that the girl is innocent, but her family and others had forced her to make the accusation against him.

The development resulted in tension around Old Hubballi Police Station, where a large number of people, including Hindutva activists, staged a protest demanding stringent action to curb the “menace of love jihad”, an allegation which has been ruled out by the youth’s family members, who claim they celebrate all Hindu festivals.

At least three complaints are likely to be filed in the case: one by the girl’s family, another by SSK community members, and the third by the youth’s family. The process of filing the complaints was on until late evening, with senior officials, including Police Commissioner N. Shashikumar, personally monitoring the situation.