THE Rajasthan State Committee of the CPI(M) has strongly criticised the attempts by the BJP, RSS, and their affiliated organisations to create communal tension in the state and districts by exploiting the religion of the youth involved in a recent incident in Vijaynagar town of Bhilwara district. The CPI(M) has demanded a fair and impartial investigation into the issue.
A recent incident involving some adolescent boys and girls in Vijaynagar town has been exploited by the BJP, RSS, and their affiliated organizations and leaders to propagate it nationwide as a case of "Love Jihad." Along with this, some print and electronic media channels have propagated it as a case of blackmail. Aggressive propaganda is being carried out continuously to create communal tension in Ajmer, Bhilwara districts, and across the state.
Several BJP-RSS MLAs, some ministers of the state government, the speaker of the Legislative Assembly, and the governor have made statements promoting communal tension without waiting for the investigation to conclude and without any solid evidence, further worsening the situation.
In court premises, a section of lawyers has been physically assaulting the accused, declaring them guilty even before the trial concludes. Local lawyers in Vijaynagar have refused to represent the accused, forcing a Muslim lawyer from outside to take up their case.
BJP-RSS organisations and leaders have declared, solely based on the different religions of the boy and girl involved, that this is a "jihad" by a group of jihadis against another religion. However, this has not been proven so far.
BJP-RSS leaders, big and small, are demanding market shutdowns in different parts of the state and the demolition of homes and shops of minorities in Vijaynagar using bulldozers. News of the local police administration and municipal corporation issuing notices for illegal constructions and running bulldozers is being widely circulated in the media and on social media.
People across the country and state who believe in the Constitution and democratic values are deeply concerned about these developments.
CPI(M) FACT-FINDING VISIT
To investigate the facts related to this incident and bring the truth to the public, a CPI(M) delegation visited Vijaynagar on February 28th and March 1st.
The delegation included Sanjay Madhav, state secretariat member; Praveen Kulshreshtha, CPI(M) district secretary of Ajmer, and Ritansh Azad, treasurer of the Democratic Youth Federation of India and district secretary of Jaipur. The delegation met with all affected parties, family members of the victims, families of the accused, common citizens of the town, and police administration officials to ascertain the actual facts of the incident.
The information revealed that on February 15-16, some Muslim youths were arrested by the Vijaynagar police. The police administration stated that based on three FIRs, a case has been registered under the POCSO Act, and the investigation into the charges is ongoing. The investigating officer mentioned that they are examining the so-called "racket" allegations but cannot draw any conclusions until the investigation is complete.
The BJP-RSS have launched a campaign, labelling it as a case of love jihad, religious conversion, and blackmail, demanding the use of bulldozers on the homes of the accused. The youths arrested so far are being accused of forcing some Hindu minor girls to convert.
The issue gained widespread attention after continuous campaigns by the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Without waiting for the police investigation results, the BJP-RSS machinery started a media trial, creating uproar in Vijaynagar and across the state. They declared it a case of "love jihad," organised gang blackmail, and a conspiracy for religious conversion. The entire Sangh Parivar machinery and the BJP's top state leadership immediately joined the campaign.
Local residents revealed that the incident began when some adolescent boys and girls, due to friendly relations, were seen talking on the phone, exchanging messages, and visiting juice centres or hotels by a girl's family member or family friend. Former councillor Hakim Quraishi, whose nephew is also involved, tried to mediate with the families of the boys and girls to prevent their defamation, leveraging his influence across various sections. However, some individuals associated with the RSS and Hindu organizations labeled it as a love jihad issue, accused Quraishi of being the main conspirator, and demanded his arrest. The police have since arrested Quraishi for investigation and questioning. However, the police administration issued a statement, initially denying any possibility of love jihad or a communal angle in the incident.
Meanwhile, most local residents of Vijaynagar city are also questioning these allegations, calling them false and fabricated. The families of the youths arrested by the police and local residents claim that these children are innocent and are being framed as part of a conspiracy. Everyone acknowledged that these young men and women had friendly relations and were in contact with each other. The sister of an accused youth, said, "My 18-year-old brother is completely innocent. It is true that my brother and the girl were friends and used to talk on the phone." It was also reported that there are many other young men and women in the city who share similar friendly relationships. These include youths from both Hindu and Muslim communities who interact and meet with each other.
While these conversations were taking place, a large number of local people from both communities, including women, men, and family members of the accused, were present. Their presence during these discussions made it clear that this was normal for them and not an unusual matter. Most local residents and the families of the youths were also aware of these interactions. Conversations with residents from various areas of the city and members of both communities made it clear that youths from different religions were involved in this incident. Despite this, for most people in the city, this was not an unusual communal incident, possibly because the general public here has not yet been communalised. However, communal forces are making every effort to change this.
The walls of houses in all the neighbourhoods of the city are painted with communal slogans like "My Village, My Ayodhya," etc. Such writings are also found at the entrances of homes belonging to the Muslim community, and no objections have been raised against them. The neighbourhoods are completely mixed in terms of population.
The delegation observed that there is a restless silence among the families of the minority community, the elderly, and the youth. Most are hesitant to speak on this issue. Vijaynagar has usually been an example of communal harmony. Residents here mentioned that there has never been an incident of communal tension in the city's history. However, the presence of communal forces/organisations is noticeable here. The RSS has branches and other activities in some parts of the city. But the general public of the city has not yet fallen into the grip of communal ideology. This is also a major reason for the unease among communal forces.
If any sexual crime, blackmailing, or any other criminal activity has occurred in this case, and if anyone or any group is found guilty, then the strictest possible legal action should be taken against them without any discrimination. However, innocent people should not be falsely implicated, and the incident should not be forcibly turned into a communal or caste-based dispute by focusing on the religion or caste of any accused or victim. No individual or community should be targeted by disregarding the law and the Constitution.
The atmosphere being created suggests that some vested political and communal forces are trying to exploit this incident to orchestrate a political conspiracy, using it as a pretext for communal polarisation in Vijaynagar, surrounding areas, and the state for political gain. These forces must be exposed, and communal harmony, mutual goodwill, and brotherhood in Vijaynagar and the state must be preserved.
The IG of the Ajmer Range has also dismissed the angle of “love jihad” or communalism in his statement. When the delegation met local police administration officials on February 28, despite immense pressure from BJP-RSS leaders and certain ministers-MLAs of the state government, senior police officials in Vijaynagar were unwilling to confirm the conclusions propagated by the BJP-RSS. Both the Station House Officer (SHO) of Vijaynagar Police Station and the investigating officer, DSP Sajjan Singh, refused to validate these claims and declined to comment before the investigation was completed.
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