How Rumours of ‘Love Jihad’ Forced Muslim Families to Flee Uttarakhand's Purola

Watch our ground report to find out who spread and amplified these rumours.

The issue dates back to May 2023, when two people named Jitendra Saini and Ubaid Khan were accused of abducting a Hindu minor girl.

(Photo: Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

"A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can get its boots on" is a famous quote that highlights the impact can m/disinformation have.

To further highlight this, let's look at the case of Purola, Uttarakhand, where a majority of the Muslim population had to flee the area due to rumours of 'love jihad' in 2023.

The issue dates back to May 2023, when two people named Jitendra Saini and Ubaid Khan were accused of abducting a Hindu minor girl. Since one of the accused was from the Muslim community, local right-wing groups labelled it as 'love jihad' and launched protests leading to the worsening of the situation.

In The Quint's special series 'Fake News, Real Impact', our team travelled to Purola to investigate the matter and to search answers to some key questions, such as: Who spread the rumour of 'love jihad'? Who amplified these rumours? What was the truth?

To find answers to these questions and more, watch our first episode of this special series. You can support our work by becoming our member.