MLA Shiladitya Dev Justifies Assault on Pregnant Woman, Calls it 'Love Jihad'

Guwahati, September 19, 2019:

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Shiladitya Dev has termed the recent assault of a pregnant woman and her two sisters as a case of 'Love Jihad'.

Giving the controversial incident a communal avatar, Dev said that the case shed light on the rising 'Love Jihad' cases across the state of Assam. The Hojai MLA further alleged that the three sisters and their brother were part of a 'Love Jihad' gang, which entraps and exploits Hindu girls.

Dev said, “Love Jihad is not a new concept. Bangladeshi Muslim boys approach our Hindu girls and entrap them on the pretext of love. It has stemmed from Facebook Jihad and Instagram Jihad.”

Dev further alleged that they sell the girls later when they fall prey to their ‘love’.

Condemning inter-faith marriages between Hindus and Muslims, Dev said, “Why is Love Jihad on the high in Assam? Nowadays, incidents of marriage between Hindus and Muslims has also skyrocketed. Hindu girls wish to get married to Muslim boys, saying that they are in love, but I have not seen any Muslim girl getting married to a Hindu boy and converting her religion.”

Speaking in defense of Sub Inspector Mahendra Sarma, who was suspended for illegally torturing the three women, the Hojai MLA said, “I got to know from Facebook that the SI was trying to solve a case of Love Jihad and the locals stood in his support.”

He said that a Muslim boy had kidnapped a Hindu girl and kept her with his sisters. Sarma was following the police case registered in the Sipajhar Police Station by the

girl’s brother.

He added, “Yesterday, when I went to Morigaon to take stock of the ones excluded from the NRC, I got to know that the locals came out in support of Mahendra Sarma.”

Questioning the quick suspension of the SI on the case, he said, “Have you seen videos of him beating them up? Not every girl is innocent. The truth should be known.”

Targeting the ‘Moulobadis’ using the word ‘secular’, the BJP MLA said, “It is the Moulobadis who keep talking about being secular. They wear it as Burkhas and destroy the Assamese society. If they are so secular, let them marry off their daughters to our Hindu boys and get converted into Hindus.

It is to be noted that on September 8, three women, namely, Minuara Begum, Sanu Ara Begum and Rumena Begum, were picked up from their residence at Six Mile in Guwahati by SI Mahendra Sarma to Burha Police Outpost in Assam’s Darrang district.

Outpost In-charge Mahendra Sarma, allegedly, was in search of their brother Rubul Ali, against whom a kidnapping charge was lodged. After failing to trace him, Sarma brought his sisters and allegedly stripped and brutally assaulted them. Locals said that Mahendra Sarma, along with a lady constable, Binita Boro, tortured them for the whole night.

When images of their injuries surfaced online and the ladies, along with the locals, took to social media to share the barbarism of the Police personnel, the SI was suspended.

As per reports, the pregnant woman was carrying for two months and 22 days but the pregnancy had to be terminated after she sustained injuries in the Burha Police Outpost.

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