UP: Karni Sena Workers Stop Interfaith Wedding, Forcibly Take Woman to Police

A video of the incident shows the 18-year-old Dalit woman saying that she was willingly marrying the Muslim man.

Karni Sena workers allegedly stopped an interfaith wedding between a Muslim man and a Dalit woman in UP, by saying that the marriage was a case of love jihad. Image used for representational purposes.

(Illustration: Erum Gour/The Quint)

Karni Sena workers in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia district allegedly stop an interfaith wedding between a Muslim man and a Dalit woman at a court, by saying that the marriage was a case of “forced conversion and love jihad", news agency PTI reported on Friday, 30 July.

A video of the incident, which occurred on Wednesday, emerged online the next day. In the video, Sena activists can be seen creating a ruckus while the 18-year-old woman says that she is willingly marrying the man.

After chaos ensued in the court on Wednesday, the Hindu outfit's workers allegedly forcibly took the woman to the police station. Cops then called her parents and directed her to record a statement in court, The Indian Express reported.

"We have lodged a case on the basis of a complaint from her father that his daughter had been kidnapped. We will present her at a court soon, where she will record her statement. Further action will be taken based on her statement as the woman is an adult."

Vipin Tada | SP

Speaking to The Quint, Tada said that further action will be taken on the basis of the girl's statement before the magistrate and stated that he was unaware about the chaos that ensued due to members of the Hindu outfit barging in the court.

However, Tada denied that the incident had anything to do with "forced conversion", as alleged by Karni Sena activists, The Indian Express reported.

The man involved in the incident has been identified as 24-year-old Dilshad Siddiqui.

(With inputs from The Indian Express and PTI)