India: 'Love jihad' harassment triggers suicide

By Shuriah Niazi
New Delhi (AA) - A Hindu woman in southern India took her life after being harassed by members of a right-wing group who accused her of being in a relationship with a Muslim man, police said Tuesday.
The 20-year-old woman allegedly committed suicide last Saturday by hanging herself at her residence in Chikkamagaluru district in Karnataka state.
A suicide note was recovered from the scene in which she alleged that five youths had harassed her and her mother, said K. Annamalai, district superintendent of the police.
They had visited her house last Saturday, the day of the alleged suicide, and threatened her of being a victim of "Love Jihad" -- a term coined by the Hindu right-wing to accuse Muslim men of luring non-Muslim women to Islam by feigning love.
They included leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's youth wing M.V. Anil, who was arrested by police on Monday.
"She was harassed by these people for roaming around with a Muslim man, after which she decided to end her life," Annamalai said.
According to media reports, the victim had claimed on Whatsapp that she loved Muslims.
In her police complaint, the victim's mother said her daughter had received a call from an anonymous person who questioned her about the Whatsapp message and pictures on social media where she was wearing a head scarf.
Incidents of violence against Muslims in the name of "Love Jihad" are rising in the country currently being ruled by right-wing BJP.
India's top court is currently hearing the case of a medical student Hadiya who converted to Islam and married a Muslim man. The high court had earlier annulled her marriage.