Indian politician Pramod Muthalik has urged young Hindu men to lure “10 Muslim girls if we lose one Hindu girl” through what he called “love jihad”.
Muthalik, the chief of the Hindu nationalist party Sri Ram Sena, alleged that thousands of Hindu girls were being “exploited in the name of love jihad”, the belief that Muslims are seeking to deceive Hindu women through marriage and convert them to Islam.
“We are aware of the situation. I would like to invite the youth here. If we lose one Hindu girl, we should trap 10 Muslim girls. If you do so, Sri Ram Sena will take responsibility for you and provide every kind of security and employment,” said Muthalik, as quoted in The Indian Express.
“Our girls are exploited in love jihad. Across the country, thousands of girls are cheated in the name of love. We should warn them,” the politician further said.
“I am not saying this because elections are around the corner. My statements have always been in the interest of Hindus,” the report quoted him as saying.
The Indian Express added that Muthalik’s comments have been widely criticised, with “love jihad” considered to be a baseless conspiracy theory that courts have rejected.
