The district administration of Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh has razed down the house of a Muslim man identified as Arbaaz, who is accused of a “love jihad” case. The sequence of the incident starts when a girl belonging to the scheduled caste family died of suicide on October 29, allegedly by consuming poison in the Harsud police station area. The girl, as per the reports, was fretted by the continuous threats from Arbaaz over the matter of her arranged marriage.
“She was constantly harassed and threatened. She felt trapped and hopeless. This pushed her to take such a drastic step,” locals said, and the Clarion Media reported.
Hindu organizations gather, and the corpse is placed on the road.
The tragic death of the girl led to the gathering of a group of Hindus outside the police station with the body of the girl placed on the road, resulting in igniting traffic and demanding the arrest of Arbaaz. The protest took a drastic turn when the protestors, on return from the protest, reportedly set Arbaaz’s house on fire, which did not lead to any casualties as the house had only one person present at the time.
“The house was entirely gutted. Everything inside was lost. It was shocking to see the level of violence,” accounts an eyewitness as reported by the Clarion Media.
Muslim Man Arrested, House Demolition Notice Issued
Following this, the police arrested Arbaz and his family in custody, filing a case of “love jihad” against them. Meanwhile, the Municipal Council issued a notice of alleged encroachment on Arbaaz’s house.
The district administration, accompanied by heavy police, on Wednesday razed the house to the ground, leading to grabbing criticism from the Muslim community.
“It is worrying to see bulldozers being used as instruments of fear against a particular community. The law should protect everyone equally, not selectively,” a local activist said.
“We live in constant fear. If one person is accused, the entire family is punished. How is this justice?” A resident of Harsud remarked, as reported by the Clarion Media.
