Thiruvananthapuram: When the whole nation is fighting against the threat of the novel coronavirus, a fresh case of love jihad is reported from Kanjirappally, Kottayam district of Kerala, about a nineteen-year-old Christian girl who eloped with a man. Though the police apprehended the girl and her lover and brought them to the police station, her father and brother were unable to convince her about the dangers of such a relation.
According to a report by ‘Marunadan Malayali’, the girl who was studying nursing in Andhra Pradesh had returned home and was in home-quarantine. She eloped with her lover, a DYFI leader, just after her quarantine period was over on Monday, leaving her father and brother distressed. The girl’s mother is working abroad as a nurse to meet the ends of the family.
When the girl was brought to the station along with her lover, the father begged her to return home. However, she was not moved by her father’s love and was adamant that she wanted to go with her boyfriend.
As both of them were of marriageable age, her relatives could only stand there helplessly watching the tragic tale unfold.
Soon, she left the police station with her lover and his team of supporters. Interestingly, according to the report, the lover’s friends consisted of members from many political parties yet they all belonged to one religious community.
According to many Facebook posts, the Christian community of the region seems to be in a state of shock and fear. The menace of love jihad has taken a heavy toll not only on Hindu families but also the Christian community.
In January, the largest Christian denomination, the Syro-Malabar Church in a report openly criticized the Islamic radicals for targeting and killing Christian girls in the name of love jihad. The report also said that 21 girls from the Christian community were converted and forced to join the Islamic State. The report also said that cases of love jihad is increasing.
According to Kerala Catholic Bishops Conference (KCBC) Commission for Social Harmony and Vigilance, there were 4000 cases of love jihad between 2005 and 2012.
