Jihadi Moral Police strikes again in Coimbatore

Young lovers from different faiths assaulted by members of radical outfit

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-04-27/coimbatore/31421274_1_outfit-young-couple-technical-snag

COIMBATORE: A city-based radical group abducted a 19-year-old Muslim girl and her Hindu friend on Wednesday night while they were drinking tea at a roadside eatery in Oppanakkara Street here. Over 10 members of the outfit were involved in the abduction. They assaulted the lovers and forcibly took them to the outfit’s office in Ukkadam. They were set free after a team of city police went to the outfit’s office and rescued the young couple. They were to get married soon and were in Oppanakara Street shopping for the event, police said.

While two of the abductors have been arrested, eight others are on the run. Police have launched a search for them. The arrested have been identified as S Noushad (42) of Bilal Nagar in Ukkadam and S Sadique, 34 of Bismi Nagar in Ukkadam.

According to police, P Katturaja, hailing from Thiruvarur, was a mason who lived at his elder sister’s house in Kinnathukadavu. His younger sister P Sindhu Valli works at a knitwear manufacturing unit in Tirupur, and stays at the unit hostel. Valli often visited her elder sister along with her colleague and hostel mate R Rahana, a native of Sulagiri near Hosur. Married at an early age, she was left to single-handedly raise her three-month old infant, as her husband had died in an accident while she was pregnant.

Katturaja fell in love with Rahana and the couple decided to get married with the support of his sisters. On Wednesday, Rahana met Katturaja and his sisters in Kinnathukadavu. Later, Katturaja took Rahana on his two-wheeler to Oppanakkara Street to make purchases for the wedding.

At around 7pm, when members of the radical outfit saw the purdah-clad Rahana and Katturaja, who had smeared sandalwood paste on his forehead, sipping tea together, they alerted their office. Soon, 10 members of the outfit arrived at the spot and questioned the couple. When they were told that the two planned to get married, they forced them to go with them to their office. For the next two hours, they were threatened and assaulted. They were also subjected to murder threats.

Police eventually intervened and freed them. Katturaja is unable to move his left hand after being assaulted by the outfit members. Police have slapped charges against two of the outfit members, including harassment, abduction and intimidation.

Just last month, seven persons were arrested for assaulting a young couple belonging to different religions, who were stranded on Vincent Road when their two-wheeler developed a technical snag. City police have warned religious organizations against indulging in such acts as it violates the rights of individuals. No one has the right to interfere in marriage-related matters, unless the persons involved are minors, police said.

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