In Maharashtra’s Pune city, a 19-year-old Muslim student at a university was reportedly assaulted by five unidentified individuals, accusing him of involvement in “love jihad,” police disclosed on Tuesday.
The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon within the premises of Savitribai Phule Pune University, where the male student was accompanying two female classmates, according to an official from Chatushringi police station.
Authorities have initiated a case against the unidentified assailants and are actively seeking to identify them, the official stated. Concurrently, the university administration has established a committee to investigate the matter.
‘Love jihad’ refers to a term employed by right-wing activists and groups, alleging a conspiracy by Muslim men to convert Hindu women to Islam through marriage.
The student, accompanied by his female companions, was returning from a meal when several unidentified individuals on motorcycles approached them on the university grounds, the official explained. They proceeded to interrogate the student, demanding to see his Aadhaar card.
According to the police, the student filed a complaint stating that upon inspecting his identity card, one of the individuals questioned if he was involved in “love jihad” and subsequently assaulted him and a Hindu male acquaintance who was present.
“We have lodged a complaint against the unknown individuals under pertinent sections of the Indian Penal Code, and endeavors are underway to locate them utilizing CCTV footage,” the official confirmed.
The complainant is enrolled in a skill development program at the university, he noted.
Vijay Khare, the university’s registrar, affirmed the formation of a fact-finding committee to probe the incident. Additionally, he instructed security personnel deployed on campus to prevent the recurrence of such incidents where students are threatened by anti-social elements.
