Meerut girl denies rape and forceful conversion, 'love jihad' theory jolted

The 22-year-old woman from Meerut who alleged that she was forcible converted, abducted and gang-raped has now made a U-turn, saying she is in love with the accused. This has dealt a severe blow to BJP and the Sangh Parivaar's theory of "love jihad", since the Meerut case had become one of the cornerstones of their campaign.

The girl under question who raised the serious charges back in August contacted the police and said that she had left her house on Sunday because of threats from her family. She also claimed that she had gone with the Muslim man according to her own will. 

According to The Hindu, the woman has denied rape or forceful conversion in a written statement. “I was staying with my parents, but I ran away from home because I feel a threat to my life from my parents and relatives,” she said. “I went with the boy belonging to a different community out of my own will.”​ She was presented before a magistrate who sent her to the Meerut Nari Niketan, the Meerut Rural SP was quoted as telling The Hindu. 

In August, after the woman's complaint, eight persons, including the accused were arrested. The incident had put Western Uttar Pradesh on a communal cauldron when BJP put forward "love jihad" as an issue in the by-polls headed by Yogi Adityanath. 

The allegation by the woman, a former madrasa teacher came close on the heels of the Saharanpur riots. It was touted as a classical case of "love jihad" where a Hindu girl was allegedly lured, raped and converted by a Muslim. But now the entire theory faces several questions.