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Sources: Scroll, Newslaundry
In the town of Purola, Uttarakhand which has about 35,000 inhabitants, the harmonious coexistence of a few dozen Muslim families and a large number of Hindu families started to deteriorate. These families relocated from various locations of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to Purola over time in order to start businesses and live there.
Among them was Uvaid Khan, a prosperous man who came from Bijnor in 2011. Jitendra Saini, a mechanic and fellow transplant from Bijnor who relocated to Purola in 2021, operated his own shop across the street. As seen by their social media posts, Khan and Saini became friends despite coming from different backgrounds. They shared interests and even went to the gym together.
But on May 26, an incident would throw Purola into the national spotlight, shattering this calm exterior. The Times of India reported on May 31 that Khan and Saini were involved in an alleged “love jihad” case. The two men were charged with trying to run away with a Hindu girl who was living with her uncle and aunt as a minor orphan.
However, there was disagreement over the story. The Print offered an alternative explanation, saying the girls had been kidnapped by the men. Whatever the details, the incident caused a furor. Massive protests were orchestrated by Hindutva organizations such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Devbhoomi Raksha Abhiyan, who called the Muslim residents of Purola and the neighboring town of Barkot “jihadis.”
On 12 June 2023, OpIndia published an article titled “Tired of love and land jihad, Hindus in Uttarakhand take to the streets to protest: OpIndia ground report from Purola”. One of the Purola “love jihad” peddlers was journalist Anil Aswal. OpIndia spread the anti-Muslim hysteria and magnified his lies. Aswal stated on the website that Uvaid Khan “had been raping the young victim for about a year” in one interview (on the left).
Role of Anil Aswal, the journalist
Rakesh was placed in an unexpected situation in a quiet police station. Anil Aswal, a local journalist, approached him. His website, BBC Khabar, carried a striking resemblance to the well-known British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), despite any association. Anil gave Rakesh a document and urged him to report the incident so that it could be turned into a media-worthy “love jihad” tale.
The letter, written in Hindi, claimed that Khan had been pursuing Rakesh’s niece with the goal of kidnapping her and using the pretext of marriage to force her into prostitution. It presented a striking image of dishonesty, charging Khan with luring the girl and entangling her in illicit activities under the fictitious name Ankit. Remarkably, Jitendra Saini, the other accused, was not mentioned in the letter; only Khan was.
But Rakesh recognized through the deception. He declined to sign the letter and to turn it in as his grievance. “When there is no such case, why is the ‘love jihad’ angle being introduced?” asked he. Khajan Singh Chauhan, the Purola station house officer, who had observed Anil’s attempts to pressure Rakesh into using the fictitious complaint, expressed a similar level of skepticism. “The incident was not related to ‘love jihad,’” Chauhan confirmed.
Even though Anil Aswal denied any misconduct, he gave Newslaundry a copy of the letter to demonstrate his involvement. Adhering to the truth, Rakesh penned his own complaint, which resulted in Khan and Saini’s detention. The questionable letter was thrown away, but Anil’s actions had far-reaching consequences. Anil continued beyond the police precinct. He published sensational stories about a “love jihad” case in Uttarkashi on his platform, BBC Khabar. These pieces, which were full of hate speech, asserted that “Hindu organizations” were “on the boil.” Local WhatsApp groups helped Anil’s stories gain enormous traction, despite the fact that these allegations are still unsubstantiated.
Prominent citizens of Purola, including members of the VHP, BJP, and regional trade associations, took notice of the fake news. A Purola traders WhatsApp group banned Muslim members on May 27, and calls for a protest against the Muslim community started to spread. In statements, the Purola Vyapar Mandal and the Purola Gram Pradhan Sangathan urged people to take part in the demonstration.
The situation took a sharp turn on May 29. Fake news incited an enraged mob that set about looting Muslim-owned businesses and yelling anti-Muslim slogans, resulting in widespread unrest and fear. We spoke about the incident last year. You can watch the video below.
Incidents targeting Muslims in Uttarkhand
Muslims who returned to Purola days after the violence were told not to hold Eid gatherings even inside their homes.
Purola’s markets were closed and borders of Uttarkashi were locked. Section 144 was imposed by the administration. Slogans were being raised by Hindu groups in certain places. Hindu Mahapanchayat was going to be organized by Hindu groups was not authorized by the district officials.
Court busted fake news of Love Jihad in Uttarakhand
Uvaid Khan and Jitendra Saini’s trial, which took place over the course of 19 hearings from August 2023 to May 2024, was founded on grave accusations of sexual assault, kidnapping, and procuring a minor. These accusations were ultimately proven to be untrue, though.
Aashish Chunar, a 27-year-old RSS member who owns a computer shop in the community, called the minor’s uncle at 3:07 p.m. on May 26, 2023, which is when it all started. Chunar stated that he witnessed two men attempting to coax the uncle’s niece into a dance close to the gas station in the town. He stated that they were trying to transport her to the 18-kilometer town of Naugaon. The uncle’s first information report (FIR), which was submitted to the Purola police station, contained this information.
The complaint claims that Chunar took action, sending the men running, and then brought the girl to his shop. According to the uncle’s complaint, his niece was duped into going to the gas station. Saini called a tempo driver and Khan, posing as Ankit, tried to entice her into marriage and abduct her. But Chunar and someone else noticed her and came to her aid.
Under cross-examination during the trial, the minor’s uncle testified that his niece had not really told him anything about the incident. Rather, he had followed Chunar’s instructions in writing the complaint. In a similar vein, the girl’s aunt stated in court that her niece had only mentioned Chunar’s shop after she had gone out to get some clothes sewn, and that she had not mentioned the incident or named the accused.
Chunar acknowledged that Khan and Saini were not the two men he had observed conversing with the minor on May 26 when they were brought before him during the trial. Chunar, who became a member of the RSS in 2017, denied giving the uncle instructions to file the complaint.
The minor’s first statement to a civil judge on May 27, 2023, was refuted by her testimony in court. She said in her first statement that she was taken to the gas station by Khan and Saini, who then allegedly tried to make her dance to a beat, and left when Chunar showed up. She did, however, reveal during the trial that she had been coached by the police to accuse Khan and Saini, and she had simply repeated their statements.
The minor made it clear in court that the accused had not followed her and were not taking her anywhere. She added that they accompanied her to the tailor’s shop after she asked them for directions.
Judge Gurubaksh Singh came to the conclusion that there was insufficient evidence to support Khan and Saini’s claims that they had sexually touched the minor. As a result, he declared that the prosecution had not established their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and exonerated them.
The minor’s allegation that they had coached her was refuted by the law enforcement officers engaged in the case. The Purola police station’s station house officer at the time, KC Chauhan, hypothesized that the girl might be lying because of mental instability. Chauhan is currently employed by the state’s vigilance department. The investigating officer, Deepti Jagwan, chose not to comment.
Ultimately, Jitendra Saini and Uvaid Khan were exonerated by the court and left free from all accusations.