V-Day: 5 Bajrang Dal workers arrested for vandalising mall, restaurant in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, Feb 16: Five Bajrang Dal workers have been arrested for allegedly indulging in vandalism in the city on On Valentine's Day, February 14, police said. They said about 10 to 15 activists on two wheelers vandalised a shop in Kattupalli area on February 14.

They held aloft flags and raised slogans against celebration of Valentines Day and "created havoc" at different malls, a police press release said.

On receiving information, police rushed to a mall, but the Bajrang Dal activists escaped from the spot.

Five of them were later identified with the help of CCTV footage and arrested, police said. The others too have been identifed and efforts were on to nab them, police said. Two cases have been registered against them under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code on a complaint from shop owners, the release said.

In yet another incident, Bajrang Dal activists also forced a newly-married inter-faith couple in Moradabad to call off their wedding reception despite 50 of the protesters being detained. According to police, the couple was to host the wedding reception on Valentine's Day in the Civil Lines area of Moradabad. While the woman is from Moradabad, the man who is a Muslim hails from Bijnor. Parents of neither had any objection to the marriage.

Bajrang Dal workers had alleged that this was a case of 'love jihad' since the woman was a Hindu and the man a Muslim. 'Love jihad', a term coined by rightwingers, is the alleged effort by Muslim men in targeting women belonging to non-Muslim communities for conversion to Islam by feigning love.

Meanwhile, a case was also registered against four Bajrang Dal activists for attacking Telugu film critic Kathi Mahesh who came to Imax mall to watch a movie. It is learned that Kathi had earlier made derogatory statements against Hindu gods. he was banned from Hyderabad for six months by the Telangana police under the Telangana Prevention of Anti-Social and Hazardous Activities Act, 1980, during a similar controversy.