‘Called My Father, Threatened To Kill Me’: Student Claims Beaten By Mob Over ‘Love Jihad’ Accusation At Pune Varsity | VIDEO

A 19-year-old Muslim student was beaten up by a mob who accused him of "love jihad" at the Savitribai Phule Pune University in Pune City of Maharashtra.

Pune News: A Muslim student was allegedly thrashed by a mob of right-wing activists at a state-run university in Pune City of Maharashtra. According to the victim, the assailants accused him of engaging in “love jihad“, assaulted him, and called his father, warninghim to cancel his son’s admission or they will send him home in a body bag.

According to the police, the incident occured on Sunday afternoon, when the victim, identified as 19-year-old Junaid Jamadar, was accompanying two female students on the campus of the Savitribai Phule Pune University.

In a video shared on social media, Junaid claimed that five unidentified men halted him and his friends inside the varsity campus and asked them to show their identity cards. Upon learning he belonged to the Muslim, the men accused him of “love jihad”, thrashed him, and threatened to kill him if they saw him at the campus again.

https://twitter.com/HateDetectors/status/1777358071909568939

The attackers also assaulted Junaid’s friend, a Hindu, who was accompanying him at the time. Later, they called Junaid’s father on the phone and threatened to kill his son if he did not cancel his admission, the victim alleged in the video.

Meanwhile, police said they have registered a case against the unidentified assailants based on a complaint filed by the victim, adding efforts are underway to identify and nab the culprits.

Police register case

Citing the complaint, a police official said the victim, a student at the varsity, was returning after having a meal when four-five unidentified persons on motorbikes approached them on the university campus.

The accused started questioning the student and asked him to show his Aadhaar card. The student alleged that after seeing his name on the identity card, one of the persons asked whether he had come to the university to engage in “love jihad” and assaulted him and a Hindu male friend who was also present there, the police said, citing the victim’s complaint.

“We have registered a complaint against unidentified persons under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and efforts are underway to trace them with the help of CCTV footage,” the official said, adding that victim is a a student of a skill development course at the university.

Varsity launches probe

The university authorities have also launched a probe into to the incident and set up a committee for the same.

The university’s registrar, Vijay Khare, said they have formed a fact-finding committee to investigate the incident and asked security personnel deployed in the institution to ensure such incidents of students being threatened by anti-social elements do not recur.

‘Love jihad’ is a term used by right-wing activists and outfits to allege a conspiracy by Muslim men to convert Hindu women to Islam through marriage.

(With PTI inputs)