On April 8, 2025, a disturbing case of Islamist moral policing unfolded in Bengaluru’s Chandralayout area, where a burqa-clad Muslim woman and her Hindu male friend were harassed by a group of five Muslim men but Karnataka Congress Minister Priyank Kharge decided to downplay the Islamism Vigilantism Under the Islamist manufactured conspiracy theory of ‘Bhagwa Love Trap’. The couple was sitting on a scooter in a park when they were confronted by the group, who questioned them about their interfaith relationship. A video of the incident went viral, showing the men interrogating the woman about whether her family was aware of her whereabouts. They also targeted her Hindu companion, demanding to know why he was sitting with a Muslim woman. Another video reportedly shows the group surrounding the man and hitting him with an object. The woman later filed a complaint with the police, leading to the arrest of the five accused.
This attack is part of a rising trend driven by the dangerous and communal conspiracy theory termed the ‘Bhagwa Love Trap’—a baseless narrative pushed by radical Islamist elements suggesting that Hindu men are being trained to lure and convert Muslim women. This theory has become a justification for targeting innocent interfaith couples in public spaces. Social media platforms have been flooded with vigilante-style videos of couples being ambushed, harassed, or assaulted by self-appointed moral custodians of the community.
Despite the deeply communal and misogynistic nature of the incident, Karnataka’s Congress Minister Priyank Kharge sought to trivialize the situation. While commenting on the attack, Kharge condemned “moral policing” in vague terms but focused instead on mocking BJP-ruled states. “This is not Bihar or Uttar Pradesh or Madhya Pradesh. Karnataka is a progressive state,” he said—ignoring the Islamist angle entirely and reducing the serious issue to a political jab.
Such statements are both irresponsible and dangerous. Instead of acknowledging the communal targeting of Hindu-Muslim couples by Islamist mobs under the ‘Bhagwa Love Trap’ myth, Priyank Kharge used the opportunity for deflection and appeasement. The Congress-led state government cannot continue to ignore this pattern of radicalisation, which has already resulted in physical assaults, public harassment, and even alleged sexual violence.
