Shraddha Walkar murder case: “I am 25 years of age and have the legal authority to make all decisions. I am going to be in a live-in relationship with Aftab, and I am no longer your daughter.” These were the words of Shraddha Walkar when she distanced herself from her family and moved in with Aftab Poonawala. This is not the first such incident, and this would not be the last.
Shraddha Walkar murder case is yet another addition to a series of cases where Muslim men trap women from other religions, basically non-Muslims, for the purpose of conversion or sexual exploitation, often murdering them if they resist. Religious groups often refer to the pattern as ‘love jihad.’ But the question, despite so many reports, why do Shraddhas continue to be trapped by Aftabs?
The spine-chilling murder of Shraddha Walkar
Aftab Poonawala was arrested on November 11 after the police launched a search for Shraddha following Vikas Madan Walkar’s complaint regarding his missing daughter. As per the police investigation, it has been revealed that Aftab had murdered Shraddha back in May itself and had then disposed of her body over a period of 18 days.
He had even bought a 300-liter refrigerator in which he preserved the chopped body of Shraddha. He would go out every night with chopped pieces of Shraddha’s body and throw them in the jungle or feed the stray dogs.
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Many recent cases of “love jihad”
Citing Aftab’s confession, the police said that Aftab had killed Shraddha as she was pressuring him to marry her. While her friend claimed it was unlikely, there are many reasons why Hindu women and girls are being murdered.
In 2020, Nikita Tomar was shot dead by her stalker, Mohammed Tausif. In another spine-chilling incident, Priya and her daughter were killed, and Priya’s live-in partner Shamshad buried the bodies in their own house.
Shamshad had confessed that he “was forced to kill the two because he was unable to cope with the daily skirmishes.” In a recent case in Madhya Pradesh, a Hindu woman named Rachna had eloped with Irfan and was found dead under mysterious circumstances. She had even accused Irfan of forced conversion and domestic violence.
The list can be never-ending, and the reason is that society is busy listing the incidents with no course correction.
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Shraddha Walkar murder case: The reasons decoded
There is no wrong in the society that finds no connection with Bollywood as wisely said, films have a great impact on the society. And Bollywood is guilty of popularising interfaith marriages. There should be no qualms about anyone marrying outside the faith.
However, the constant glorification of Islamists, as well as interfaith marriages, had led to women and even men in the Hindu community developing empathy for them.The portrayal has not only made interfaith marriages a trend but has also made the trapping of girls easier.
Next, if psychologists are to be believed, girls and women get easily attracted to men with such a mindset who could commit some crime someday; aggression and anger have become a new craving. The concept of hybristophilia has the same basis, where women find sexual interest in offenders or criminals.
The Hindu community is lagging on another front, which is imparting cultural and religious knowledge to their younger generation. We rode the train to modernization, but we left our identities on the platform.
This is what has distanced the new generation from their religious beliefs and practices. When another religion or custom is presented to the younger generation in a sugar-coated manner, they are enticed.
Next, and the undeniable reason for the rampant love jihad cases, is the funding being disbursed for the same. Tell me what “love jihad” is: it is a boy making pretence of love and trapping an unsuspecting Hindu girl, knowing fully well from the very beginning that the ultimate goal is furtherance of Islam and bringing one more “infidel” into the fold of “one true faith.”
For the same purpose, funds are being distributed. Also, a few months ago, a “rate card” was circulating on Twitter, which described different payment amounts for girls belonging to different categories.
The need of the hour
Nothing has been done to protect the Hindu girls from the trap; rather, the ways have seen amplification in the past few years. There is a constant subjugation of non-Muslim women, and the women themselves are not able to see it. The urgent need is to control the menace so that one more Aftab does not feed the chopped body of Shraddha to dogs, one more Nikita Tomar doesn’t get shot, and no more Priya is buried with her minor daughter.
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