(This story was first published on 22 November 2020, and is being republished from The Quint's archives to mark one year since the anti-conversion law in Uttar Pradesh came into effect.)
“Mixed couples grew weary of the “condemnation and harassment they faced on a near daily basis” from the rest of their community… Smaller happenings, such as harassing couples until they stopped going to_________ together, occurred regularly. Some confrontations turned violent as _________ men and their_________ girlfriends were assaulted in the street and paraded around town, announcing their crime of having social and sexual relations with someone of a different _________. The communal disapproval began even before the _________ Laws were enacted; due to their passage, many mixed couples simply decided that it was better to split when their relationship became a burden and source of danger.”