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Mangaluru: Right-wing Hindutva organisation Sri Ram Sena Karnataka has launched a helpline to 'tackle love jihad' cases.
“The helpline became operational from Wednesday onwards", said State general secretary Anand Shetty Adyar.
The helpline—9090443444— was launched from six places —Bengaluru, Kalburgi, Bagalkote, Davangere and Hubballi-Dharwad. The helpline will be based at Hubballi as headquarters, he told mediapersons.
‘Love jihad’ is a term used by right-wing organisations for inter-caste marriages between Hindus and Muslims. They allege that Muslim men lure Hindu women into relationships and convert them into Islam religion.
Shetty claimed that there has been a rise in 'love jihad' cases in the country and in Karnataka.
"Young women have fallen prey to 'love jihad' and lost their lives and some of the women were pushed to illegal activities like drug peddling, terrorism as well. On many occasions, women and young girls are unable to share their distress with their family members. This helpline will help them to reveal their woes and get guidance from the helpline team", he said.
Giving out statistics on 'love jihad' murders based on report by a right-wing news website, OPIndia, he said 153 women have lost their lives between 2020-23 in North India. This includes 69 in Uttar Pradesh, 22 in Madhya Pradesh. Of the victims, 27.5 per cent were minors and 15 per cent were dalits. Identities of Muslim men were hidden in 62 per cent of the cases, he said, quoting the said report.
Shetty further claimed that 172 women go missing in the country daily. The helpline team will have advisors, counsellors, former police personnel, advocates.
“Once the call is received, our team will look into genuineness of the case. The women in distress will be counselled and provided with all assistance. The callers identity will not be revealed," he said.
The helpline will function round the clock, he said and added that the Sri Ram Sena will not take law into hands at any cost and will seek the assistance of the police.
“We will not engage in moral policing in the name of helpline. We believe in the constitution of the country. In case if a Muslim woman wishes to get converted to Hindu voluntarily, we will welcome her and protect her,” Shetty said.