Ghaziabad: Yet another consensual marriage of a Hindu woman and a Muslim man was disrupted by a mob led by the workers of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Ghaziabad, even as it was registered under the Special Marriage Act as mandated by the law.
Over 100 BJP workers led by BJP Ghaziabad President Ajay Sharma, organised a sit-in protest, shouted slogans and even tried to enter the house of the woman’s parents in Raj Nagar on the assumption that it was a case of “love jihad”.
The group, accompanied by representatives of Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal and Jai Shiv Sena, descended upon the reception at the woman’s house and clashed with the police.
Also Read: UP’s ‘love jihad’ law denies dignity of choice, targets only Muslims
BJP unit Uttar Pradesh head Ajay Sharma told The Hindustan Times, “Bride’s family is under pressure and she is also being forced to adopt Islam. It is a case of love jihad and we oppose it. They have not taken any permission from the administration for the marriage”.
According the bride’s family, the couple has known each other for a long time and has registered their marriage under the Special Marriage Act. The bride’s father had been getting calls from various groups for the past two days to cancel the marriage, the family alleged.
Even though the family told the mob that there was no pressure and all the legal procedures were being followed, they didn’t move.
What’s important here is how bride’s father stood up to the protesters in order to protect the sanctity of law and of consent and choice. When asked to show papers to prove that the marriage was legal, he confronted the mob and asked them who they were and why is he supposed to show papers to them!
Also Read: Husband jailed for ‘love jihad’, woman tells court she’s adult and married by choice
While talking to the Scroll, the bride’s father said, “They wanted to do their own politics, that’s all. I was only a pawn for them. They wanted their limelight”. He also said that the couple was highly educated and married with the consent of both the families, adding, “The groom was even ready to do the pheras, but there is no point to that.”
“I wanted to send a message to society with our resistance to these people,” he told the Scroll.
The father is a Chartered Accountant, a businessman and son of an IAS officer. The groom’s father is a professor at a Delhi college.
Also Read | Opinion: Concept of ‘Love Jihad’ stems from Hindutva’s misogyny
The idea of “love jihad” is an unproven right-wing theory that recently gained legal sanction and support in UP. Stopping marriages and threatening people is slowly becoming an everyday affair.
A case was registered against Sharma and 100 others for rioting and clashing with the police. Following this, Ajay Sharma has been removed from the post.