Support poured in for the woman’s family from various Hindu outfits on Wednesday even as the market in Ferozepur Jhirka’s Lal Kuan Chowk remained shut for the third consecutive day in protest against an interfaith marriage .
A mahapanchayat will be held on Sunday to chalk out future course of action.
Subhash Singla, a member of Sangarsh Samiti spearheading the protest, claimed that the Hindu outfits from Alwar, Hodal, Punhana, Rohtak, Gurugram, Sohna and Sonipat had come forward offering support.
“The samiti had given three-days time to the Muslim community leaders to return the woman to her parents. After the Wednesday deadline ended, we have decided to open the market for three days and hold a mahapanchayat on Sunday,” said Mr. Singla.
He alleged that the woman had not gone on her own and there was a growing trend of Hindu girls being lured by Muslim youth.
Aalam Mandal, a Muslim leader, said the whereabouts of the man and the woman were not known. He said that efforts were being made to maintain communal harmony.
Around 250 police personnel have been deployed in the market, where the Sangarsh Samiti is holding dharna, to prevent any law and order situation.
Nem Chand Saini, who runs Saini Sound Service in the market, said, several hundred shops in the market were closed and the support from traders was not forced.
The woman, 20, had gone missing on August 14 from outside her college. She along with the man appeared before the court on August 17 to claim that they were married and sought police protection.
Woman’s appeal
Meanwhile, the woman in a six-minute video, which went viral, claimed that she had married the man on her own and both loved each other. She made an appeal to her community not to resort to violence since it was a matter of personal choice for two adults.
Reacting to the video, Mr. Singla said the woman had been acting under pressure from the man and his community. He alleged that she was in captivity and being dictated to say what she was saying.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Ferozepur Jhirka, Reagan Kumar said the district administration had held several rounds of meetings with the two parties to de-escalate the situation. “The family’s allegation that the woman was acting under pressure can be confirmed only after she appears before the police,” said Mr. Kumar.
