A case of alleged love jihad/grooming jihad has come to the fore from the Khudel village in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. A Hindu girl identified as Jaya Sharma, unable to withstand the pressure of marriage exerted on her by her boyfriend Asad, committed suicide on Wednesday, April 19. According to media reports, the girl died by consuming poison. The deceased victim’s family has alleged it to be a case of love jihad.
After the news of the girl’s death spread, several Bajrang Dal members accompanied by the victim’s kin reached the Khudel police station and launched a protest. They demanded strict and prompt action against the accused.
The family alleged that the girl was pushed to take the extreme step after being harassed for several months by her boyfriend Asad, a resident of Kazi Palasia, who kept pressurising her to get married to him.
According to reports, the deceased girl and Asad studied in the same school and became good friends over time. Asad started pressuring Sharma to marry him. The girl kept turning down the proposal since they came from two different religious backgrounds. When the victim began keeping a distance from Asad, he started calling her up frequently and pressuring her over the phone.
The girl started staying visibly upset. Concerned over this, Sharma’s family members took away her phone. Asad, however, did not give up. He began calling up the girl’s family members and threatening them.
On Tuesday, Asad messaged the girl’s uncle that if they did not accede to his demands, he would commit suicide and leave a suicide note where he would accuse the girl and her family members of his death. The girl read the text message Asad sent to her uncle.
Unable to withstand this pressure, the girl decided to end her life and on Wednesday, she committed suicide by consuming poison.
When the news of the death spread, members of the Hindu outfit reached the police station and demanded the immediate arrest of the accused. The police, in turn, registered a case and arrested Asad. The police also confiscated Asad’s mobile phone from which he had sent the threat message to the deceased’s uncle. Now, reportedly, the police will use the phone as evidence against Asad.