Two women who went missing from their homes on June 30 have kept the Bikaner district in Rajasthan on edge. While one, aged 17, is a Class 12 student in a private school, the other is a teacher in the same school who is 20 years old, reports The Indian Express.
While the family of the minor has lodged a complaint alleging she was “brainwashed”, the BJP and right-wing outfits have hit the streets alleging “love jihad”, citing that the minor is a Hindu and her teacher is Muslim.
Police have registered an FIR against the teacher and her two brothers under IPC sections 363 (kidnapping), 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage, etc) and section 120B (criminal conspiracy), along with sections of the Juvenile Justice Act.
Meanwhile, the girls have released a video from an undisclosed location.
The minor girl can be heard saying, “All of you must be thinking that she or her family members brainwashed and kidnapped me. There is nothing like that. We have left of our own will because we love each other and can’t stay without each other. We are lesbians and we cannot marry any other man. That is why we decided to run away; she didn’t force me at all. You may think that she has asked me to make this video, but it is not so. It is me who has taken the decision to make this video and allay the misunderstanding.”
The teacher, in the video, said that “I have not brainwashed and brought her here. Please don’t riot for no reason.”
The minor further says, “We love each other a lot and can’t stay without each other. If you catch us, our lives will end, we will end. Please don’t file a case against her family.”
Her uncle told IE that she had gone to school on June 30 and had not returned. Upon questioning in school, they got to know the teacher was also not present there. He said that they have seen the video and said that the minor girl has been “brainwashed”.
The family of the teacher have also filed a missing person complaint at the same police station.
Bikaner Superintendent of Police Tejaswani Gautam said that they are trying to trace the location of the two.
As the case took a political turn, the BJP, in an attempt to corner the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government stood with the protestors, with BJP MLA and Rajasthan leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore visiting the town on Monday.
“You want to end the matter on the basis of that video of our sister, daughter who is under pressure. What is this system, that is abducting our innocent daughters, filling poison in their minds, doing conversion and also hitting our culture? We will ask the government in the Assembly too… the girl is kidnapped but government officials are only asking for time,” he said.