Muslim held for masquerading as Hindu and marrying

Ranchi, Aug 28: A Muslim youth has been arrested for marrying a Hindu woman on the pretext of being a Hindu in the second such incident in Jharkhand this week, police said.

Police said Ehsan Aalam made a fake identity in the name of Sonu Singh and sexually exploited the woman on the promise of marrying her.

Aalam was arrested Wednesday after the woman's parents found out that he was Muslim.

The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) calls the incident Love Jihad - a term used by the party to accuse Muslim men of luring Hindu girls into marriage and then forcing them to convert to Islam.

Following the incident, the BJP Thursday called for a shutdown in Chatra district.

"We have called for a shutdown in Chatra demanding the district administration to act in a tough way against those people indulging in Love Jihad," Vinay Singh, BJP Chatra district president, told IANS over telephone Thursday.

"There are at least three more cases in the district where Hindu girls were trapped in love by Muslim boys," he added.

The incident comes after national-level shooter Tara Shahdeo's husband was accused of beating her and forcing her to convert to Islam after their marriage in July.

Her husband Ranjeet Singh Kohli alias Rakibul Hasan Khan, 30, was arrested Tuesday and presented before a court here Wednesday.

Police have interrogated him and sources said his Nikah was done after marriage as per Hindu rituals was solemnized.

IANS