Bangalore: `No Evidence of Love Jihad,’ Says CID Seeking 2 Months for Probe
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalroe, Nov 13: Karnataka CID has sought a two-month time from the state High Court for conducting a comprehensive probe into the alleged ``Love Jihad,’’ involving cases of girls being lured into marriage and converted to Islam from different religious backgrounds even as it reported of having found no evidence of ``Love Jihad’’ in a case involving the marriage of a non-Muslim girl from the state to a Kerala Muslim youth.
The Karnataka CID, in its interim report submitted to the state High Court by Karnataka Director General of Police Ajay Kumar singh, said: ``There seems to be no prima facie evidence of 'Love Jihad' in the case of Siljaraj of Karnataka's Chamarajanagar district marrying Asgar of Kannur district of Kerala. Siljaraj has married Asgar out of her own volition.’’
However, there was a need to investigate reports of 'Love Jihad' in parts of coastal Karnataka and Kerala, the CID said and prayed for two months time, which was granted by the High Court.
``There is no 'love jihad' and I had gone with my boyfriend on my own,' Siljaraj told reporters as she left the court premises with her lover whom she married.
A division bench comprising Justice K Sreedhara Rao and Justice Ravi B Mallimath, which adjourned the case to January 18, said Siljaraj was free to go anywhere as she is a major following the CID’s interim report stating that there was no evidence of forcible conversion of the girl to Islam.
``The girl had gone to live with the boy of her own free will,’’ the interim report said, indicating that some Islamic organisations like Popular Front of India and National Development Front were very active in the state. However, there is no evidence yet linking them to conversion
The High Court Division Bench, while hearing a habeas corpus petition had directed the Karnataka and Kerala police on October 21, to jointly investigate aspects of alleged 'Love Jihad' and its ramifications and submit a report on Friday, November 13.
The High Court had also directed the girl to live with her parents till the police filed their report.
The girl's father C Selvaraj had submitted that his daughter disappeared on August 8 and later he received a call on August 15 from Asgar that he had married Siljaraj as per Islamic law.
The Statte DGP, in his interim report, had also recommended the establishment of an Anti Human Trafficking Cell in the state.
The eight-page report was in response to a case in which family members of a girl alleged that she had been forcibly converted by a Muslim youth. Allegations regarding the spread of `Love Jihad’ were also made. This prompted not just the High Court but also the state Home Minister Dr V S Acharya to order a probe.