Right-wing outfits hold rally to pressurize Maha govt for anti-conversion laws to check ‘love jihad’

• Since last November, Maharashtra has seen over 30 public rallies under the banner of Hindu Jan Aakrosh Morcha
• Leaders and workers of right-wing outfits such as the RSS, Bajrang Dal and VHP marched in the rally
• Cow slaughter and alleged land grabbing are also on the agenda

A slew of Hindu right-wing bodies on Sunday held a rally to press demand for law against conversion and ‘love jihad’, an Islamophobic conspiracy theory developed by proponents of Hindutva under which the youth of the Muslim community are accused of trapping Hindu girls for marriage.

The Sakal Hindu Samaj, an umbrella body of Hindutva organizations, took out a massive rally in central Mumbai flagging socio-religious and cultural threat to Hindus in the wake of “increasing incidents of Love Jihad cases”.

Leaders and workers of right-wing outfits such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) marched in the rally.

The rally began from Shivaji Park in Dadar and culminated at Kamgar Maidan in Parel, covering a distance of more than 4 kms.

The participants in the rally shouted slogans against “love jihad”, and demanded anti-conversion laws and a crackdown on land grabbing in the name of religion.

Several leaders and MLAs of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and those of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction also participated in the rally, according to Indian Express. The paper quoted convener Sunil Ghanwat of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti as saying: “Sunday’s rally in Mumbai is being organised by Sakal Hindu Samaj, under which various organisations like Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, Shiv Pratishthan and Sanatan Sanstha, have come together. At least 15,000 people are expected to participate in the rally though we are making preparations to accommodate more.”

Police personnel were deployed along the route of the march to prevent any untoward incident.

Since last November, Maharashtra has seen over 30 public rallies under the banner of Hindu Jan Aakrosh Morcha. The organisers have been seeking a law against alleged love jihad and religious conversions. On the agenda are also implementation of laws against cow slaughter.

The first rally had taken place in Parbhani last November, about 150 more gatherings are being planned across the state before the monsoon. Some of these rallies have been attended by elected representatives from the Maharashtra government.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis earlier this week had said, “Our party workers or leaders have attended some rallies because they are also Hindus. If a rally is being organised on the problems faced by Hindus, then it is natural that these leaders may participate.”

Notably, the Maharashtra government is contemplating laws on “love jihad” framed by other states. Fadnavis said there was a “feeling” in the House regarding the Shraddha Walkar case that instances of “love jihad” were seen at a large scale in the state.

-INDIA NEWS STREAM