What is the ‘love jihad’, ‘land jihad’ controversy in Uttarakhand’s Purola?

Communal tensions are high in Uttarakhand’s Purola town. A mahapanchayat called by right-wing organisations in the small town against what they call “love jihad” incidents did not take place Thursday (15 June) after the district administration imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

In the last few weeks, several reports of Muslims leaving Purola located in the Uttarkashi district, around 140 km from Dehradun, have come up. The impact of this communal tension in Purola has also reportedly been witnessed in some other towns and villages in the Uttarkashi district.

But what has led to this strife? What is going on Purola? Let’s take a closer look.

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How did it start?

Tensions rose in Purola after two men, one belonging to the minority community, allegedly tried to abduct a minor girl on 26 May. The two men identified by the police as Jitendra Saini and Ubaid Khan were arrested and booked under sections 363 (kidnapping) and 366A (procuration of minor girl) of the IPC and sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, reported Indian Express.

On 27 May, police officials asked traders to keep their shops shut for the day, Mohammad Ashraf, who has a garment shop in Purola, told Scroll.

Later that day, right-wing groups, local Vyapar Mandal (trade union) and some residents took out a march against the alleged kidnapping of the 14-year-old Hindu girl, which they termed a case of “love jihad”.

Calling for action against the accused, they also demanded a strict verification process for “outsiders” who come to the town.

According to Indian Express, the police have denied the “love jihad” angle in the case, with an officer familiar with the investigation saying “the girl did not know these people”.

Love jihad is a conspiracy theory of far-right Hindutva groups that claims Muslim men lure Hindu women into romantic relationships under false pretences to convert them to Islam.

Religious tensions flare-up

On 29 May, Hindus again took out a rally in the market area and also “went up to homes of Muslims”, eyewitnesses told news outlet Scroll. 

“They came down here and shouted slogans for 20 minutes at my door,” Ashraf, the 41-year-old trader, was quoted as saying by the news outlet. “They raised provocative slogans against Muslims,” he alleged.

At least 30 shops owned or rented by Muslims were also vandalised that day, reported Hindustan Times (HT).

Four days later, in Barkot, a small town about 30km from Purola, the letter “X” was marked on the doors of some Muslim-owned shops, as per Al Jazeera.

In a letter to the administration in the neighbouring district of Tehri Garhwal, dated 5 June, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), a Hindu right-wing outfit, alleged that members of a “particular community” have become a “threat” to Hindu girls, according to ThePrint report.

The letter also said if Muslims do not leave the town in 10 days, then VHP and the Hindu Yuva Vahini, will protest by blocking the highway on 20 June, the report added.

A poster allegedly put up by Devbhoomi Raksha Abhiyan asking “love jihadis” to “leave the town before mahapanchayat” on 15 June or else “face the consequences,” also worsened the tensions, reported Indian Express. Following the incident, Uttarkashi police filed a first information report (FIR) against unidentified people over the poster.

As per HT, since the Purola flare-up, rallies against Muslims have also been organised in the towns of Barkot and Chinyalisaur and villages of Naugaon, Damta, Barnigad, Netwar and Bhatwari in Uttarakhand.

Allegations of ‘love jihad, land jihad’

On 3 June, Hindutva groups held a rally in Barkot over “love jihad” and “land jihad” allegations, as per the Scroll report.

“Land jihad” is also a far-right conspiracy that accuses Muslims of occupying public land to build religious structures.

On 9 June, Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami claimed cases of “love jihad” are increasing in the state. “There is growing awareness against crimes of this nature. That is why victims are now coming out to register such cases. It’s a planned conspiracy to change the demography of our state,” he was quoted as saying by HT.

The term “land jihad” has also been often used by Dhami.

As per ThePrint, the Uttarakhand chief minister had said in April: “We are not against anyone but encroachment in the name of mazar will not be allowed. We will not allow land jihad to prosper. We believe in the law but will not allow anyone’s appeasement.”

Speaking to ThePrint ahead of the proposed Purola mahapanchayat, VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal said that the “Hindu community is being forced to hold the mahapanchayat against jihadi elements in Uttarkashi, and the local unit of the VHP is supporting the community against jihadi elements”.

He further said that “Jamiat is wasting the time of the Supreme Court and home minister” and that “they should restrict their community to do love jihad and land jihad in Uttarakhand”.

Expressing concerns over the communal tensions in Uttarkashi and the “open threat of expulsion” to Muslims, Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind president Mahmood Madani had written to Dhami and Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday (13 June).

Muslims flee homes, abandon shops

Amid recent tensions, Muslim traders in Purola have been unable to open their shops. As per Scroll, around 40 shops in the market are owned by Muslims and there are around 40-45 Muslim families in the town.

About a dozen Muslim families have already fled Purola, according to the Al Jazeera report on 13 June.

Among those who have left the small town include Zahid Malik, who claimed he was the Uttarkashi district president of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) minority wing. Malik had been living in Purola for the last 30 years but he has now fled to Dehradun with his family, as per reports.

“I had no option but to leave because there were clear threats that we will be harmed if we don’t leave before 15 June,” he told Al Jazeera.

“Even though I am associated with the ruling party, sadly I did not get any help from the administration,” Malik, who owned a readymade garments shop in the town, alleged.

BJP’s Uttarakhand leader, Dushyant Kumar Gautam, has called the reports of an alleged exodus of Muslims from Purola “baseless”.

“There was a case of ‘love jihad’. The police are investigating … People are leaving the town on their own because of the possibility of their involvement in the case,” he was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.

No mahapanchayat

Against this backdrop, the district administration did not give permission for the 15 June mahapanchayat called by Hindutva groups including VHP and the Bajrang Dal.

However, some VHP members reached the Purola stadium on Thursday and held a symbolic protest amid heavy police presence across the town, reported HT. 

Section 144 will remain in place until 19 June in the small town with a population of 5,000.

This comes after Uttarakhand High Court directed the state to maintain law and order in the area. Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) had approached the High Court seeking to stop the mahapanchayat.

The Bajrang Dal and VHP members have submitted a memorandum to the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Purola for the Uttarakhand chief minister, demanding “legal action” against “attempts by people with Jihadi mentality to defame the Hindu community and right-wing organisations,” reported HT.

‘Muslim Seva Sangathan’ has called its own mahapanchayat in Dehradun on 18 June to discuss “the atmosphere of hatred against Muslims” in Uttarakhand.

Meanwhile, Dhami said in a statement on Thursday that no one will be allowed to take the law into their hands.
“If anyone tries to vitiate the atmosphere, the law will take its course. In the incidents that have happened so far, the administration has acted properly. If someone is guilty, the law will work against him. Do not take the law into your hands,” he said.

With inputs from agencies

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