Angry mobs ransacked and burnt shops and houses in Sanodha town in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district on Saturday, April 19, after BJP MLA Pradeep Laria claimed that a Muslim man had allegedly kidnapped a Hindu girl, referring to ‘love jihad’.
“A daughter has been abducted by a Muslim man with a criminal background. The villagers are outraged by this incident, which marks the fifth such occurrence,” he claimed.
“When girls go to school, these individuals are involved in eve-teasing. Being a criminal, the accused has strong connections. I have discussed this matter with the Chief Minister and the in-charge minister,” he said.
His statements created a riot-like atmosphere, angering Hindus who ransacked and burned shops and homes of their Muslim neighbours.
However, police denied the BJP MLA’s kidnapping claims and stated that the couple, both adults, had eloped to get married.
They were tracked down by the police near the railway station. “They were planning to go to Ajmer,” Padav Police Station in-charge Alok Singh Parihar said.
But even before the couple were found, all hell broke loose in Sanodha town after Laria, representing the Naryaoli assembly, claimed a case of ‘love jihad’.
‘Love jihad’ is a conspiracy theory that accuses Muslim men of intentionally and strategically alluring non-Muslim women with the intent to marry and “convert them” to Islam as part of an “Islamisation project”.
District Collector Sandeep GR told reporters that the information about the gathering of some people was received, following which the police and administration teams rushed to the spot.
“Law and order are our prime concern. We have deployed teams. The situation is under control now,” he said without divulging details about the incident.
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