The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has decided to form vigilante groups in all major student campuses to “keep a watch on Muslim youths who try to lure Hindu women to pursue their agenda of love jihad.” This was announced at the end of the two-day national meeting, titled “Girls — India’s Real Leaders”, held by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s students’ wing.
The ABVP will run a “general awareness” campaign on women’s safety, female foeticide and other issues. In addition, groups of women volunteers would be formed in all major varsity campuses to “sensitise” Hindu women to the dangers of “social evils” such as “love jihad, live-in relationships, Valentine’s Day and pub culture” which had a “negative impact” on India’s cultural and social ethos.
“Love is a natural feeling and there is no religion involved in it. But what are dangerously taking shape are concerted efforts to lure Hindu girls by cheating and hiding identity. A dangerous trend is also growing where Muslim boys stand outside schools to lure Hindu girls,” RSS women wing’s coordinator Geeta Tai Gunde said. “‘Love jihad’ is a social menace and it needs to be dealt with socially… Hindu girls need to come out openly against it to save other girls from falling into the trap [of forced] conversion to Islam. We will mobilise students and ask our cadres to sensitise girl students against such problems that currently ail our society.”
According to ABVP national general secretary Shreehari Borikar, ‘foreign events’ like Valentine’s Day were ‘polluting’ Indian culture and strong action needed to be taken to end such “social evils.” The meet also discussed how a fact-finding team of the ABVP went to various places in Uttar Pradesh where reports of crimes against women, including cases of ‘love jihad’, were reported. A report was circulated at the meet.
Interestingly, ABVP chose Lucknow as its venue for its women-centric programme as cases of crimes against women, including rapes and eve-teasing, had seen a “major jump” in Uttar Pradesh under the Samajwadi Party government. The meet also assumes significance as major universities in the State will hold students’ union polls in the next couple of months.
