Mangaluru: A recent sting operation done by one of the national news portals caught BJP, RSS leaders using ‘Love Jihad’ bogey to fuel communal polarization.
Haji K S Mohammed Masood, president of The Muslim Central Committee (R) addressing a press meet on Thursday, October 8, said that the sting operation included interviews of Dakshina Kannada VHP working president Jagadish Shenava, BJP MLC Ganesh Karnik and former BJP member Srikar Prabhu that claim that regular “rescue operations” to counter ‘love jihad’ are done by the organisation.
Explaining the media report, Masood further said, “It is learnt that these operations often involve forcibly separating the couple, using violence on both of them and slapping fabricated cases of kidnapping and rape on the Muslim husbands.”
He said that the report speaks of Jagdish Shenava, a lawyer and VHP’s Mangalore district working president, who spoke about how he carried out a ‘rescue’ operation in February 2014. “He confesses to slapping false charges on Muslim men and admits using mobs to build pressure on police and to disrupt law and order,” the report said.
Masood further said that according to the report, the fact that the majority of the police force is Hindu, helps such groups. Shockingly, it has the BJP MLC from Mangalore Captain Ganesh Karnik proudly stating how they had infiltrated the police force with RSS workers: “We have tried to send some of our boys into the police. When I talk to students, I tell them to join the police. 60% of the young constables are our students.”
After giving out the details on the media report, Masood said, “I do not believe this report is true, neither am I claiming that the people mentioned in the media reports are true, but I question the Home department and the Police department over this.”
“Why are the police or the Home department not holding an enquiry or questioning these forces after such a revelation. They are responsible to clarify the situation”, he added.
He said, “We demand an enquiry in these matter stressed during the sting operation, the Home department should probe into the issue at the earliest. We have spoken to the commissioner to look into the matter and also have forwarded a complaint copy to the home ministry – which includes – Chief Minister, Home Minister, District-in-charge minister and Health minister.
Concluding his talk, he warned that if within one month of time no probe is ordered by the ministry we will not be responsible for the consequences.
