Thousands of people on Friday gathered at Subhas Setu, Chanban area under Udaipur sub-division in Tripura and blocked the national highway raising slogans in support of penal provision against “Love Jihad”. Rattled by a recent incident, where a minor Hindu girl was allegedly trapped and raped by a Mahamedan guy, the locals staged the blockade.

According to the agitators who also got support from some Hindu organizations, the police are not acting promptly on the issue and government is their only hope.

 Noticing the intensity of the protest being escalated with time, Agriculture Minister Pranajit Singha Roy rushed to the spot and talked to the agitators. Higher police officials including SP Gomati, Additional District Magistrate, SDPO Udaipur and other officials also rushed to the spot. After giving a patient hearing to the agitators, the minister assured them all the support. The blockade was lifted after about two and a half hours followed by a written assurance of arrest from the police super.  

 Sources said, a Mahamedan guy identified as Ershaad Khan trapped a minor girl of Hindu community using a fake Hindu identity and allegedly raped her. The incident took place during Durga Puja and after repeated efforts from the victim party, police action, the agitators felt, was not enough to arrest the accused.  

 

The Agriculture Minister said, “all the necessary steps will be taken and if the complaints of dereliction in duty are found to be true, actions will be taken. The locals have alleged about abduction and rape of a minor girl and the culprits will be surely punished as per the law. And, nobody is beyond the law, action will be taken against those also who are trying to help the accused persons”.  

 SDPO Udaipur Dhruba Nath confirmed that the protests were staged against ‘Love Jihaad’ but also refused that such incidents were rampant in the area and maintained, “in all such cases where minor girls were eloped or abducted, the due legal procedure takes place. In this case, the prime accused is absconding and our investigation is on to trace him”.