Love Jihad HAV defies ban orders

Hindu outfit defies ban orders

PNS | Kozhikode

The Hindu Aikya Vedi defied the ban orders imposed by the district administration on Friday to hold a protest march in Kozhikode town to Tharbayyathul Islamic Sabha at Mukhathar alleging that it was a centre for religious conversion.

The District administration had clamped prohibitory orders under Section 23 of the Kerala Police Act which empowered it to prohibit any procession or public assembly in the city limits. The District Collector, in his capacity as District Magistrate, had issued the orders on Thursday as the Hindu Aikya Vedi was planning to take out a march to Tharbayyathul Islamic Sabha at Mukhathar in the city on Friday.

The Vedi’ allegation was that the Mukathar facility was a centre for religious conversion, and the charge had gathered significance in the context of the reports about a planned Islamist campaign to convert non-Muslim girls into Islam bu using love as bait.

The prohibition order, applicable to religious and community organizations, was issued after considering that such a step was necessary for public peace and safety, an official said. Additional District Magistrate PM Babu, the District Collector in-charge, issued the orders. District Collector P.B. Salim, who was posted to Kannur during the by-election in the Kannur Assembly constituency, was to assume charge here on Friday.

The district administration made an attempt to hold a meeting with the office-bearers of the Vedi to get the march to Mukhatar, a communally sensitive area, cancelled, but they refuse to call off the rally.

Islamist organization Popular Front of India (National Development Front) had come out with a statement that it would block the march. The administration had received Intelligence input warning of law-and-order problems if the vedi activists took out the march. The report had warned of communal tension brewing in the area in the past couple of days.

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