Ghaziabad: 2 held for assaulting man over inter-faith relationship

Police on Wednesday arrested two men who allegedly assaulted a man in Ghaziabad’s Khoda area over an apparent interfaith relationship and recorded the incident, officials said

Police on Wednesday arrested two men who allegedly assaulted a man in Ghaziabad’s Khoda area over an apparent interfaith relationship and recorded the incident, officials said.

The police said the incident took place on August 31. The victim, believed to be a Khoda resident, has not yet been traced. (Representational image)

The suspects, brothers aged 22 and 20, were identified after videos of the assault were circulated on social media on Tuesday, police said. The brothers allegedly confined the man to a room before assaulting him.

One video shows the suspects pulling the man’s hair, slapping him and abusing him. In another, several men are seen holding the victim down on a bed while another man allegedly assaults him with a baseball bat. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos.

“The police took cognizance of the video and traced the two suspects. During questioning, they claimed that the victim was from another community and was indulging in ‘love jihad’. Thereafter, they beat him up, and the video was prepared,” Suryabali Maurya, ACP (Indirapuram), told HT.

The term “love jihad” is utilized by right-wing Hindu groups to allege a conspiracy involving Muslim men luring or forcing Hindu women into interfaith marriages and religious conversions.

“We are waiting for him to arrive. If he does not turn up, we will seek directions from senior officials for lodging an FIR,” Maurya said.

The two men have been arrested under preventive provisions, while police are trying to trace the other suspects.