Love jihad has now rocked Delhi as well: BJP on Shahabad Dairy stabbing

New Delhi: The Delhi BJP on Monday claimed the gruesome stabbing of a minor girl in the Shahabad Dairy area of northwest Delhi was a case of "love jihad", and slammed the AAP for "trying to portray" it as an "ordinary" murder and a law and order issue.

In a statement, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said the case should be tried in a fast track court.

No reaction was immediately available from the AAP over BJP's charge. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal issued a statement on Twitter earlier.

"A minor girl was brutally murdered in Delhi. This is very sad and unfortunate. The criminals have become fearless, there is no fear of the police. L-G sir, law and order is your responsibility, do something," he said in his tweet in Hindi.

◆केजरीवाल जानते हैं कि शाहबाद में हिन्दू युवती की मुस्लिम युवक द्वारा हत्या को यदि वह लव जिहाद कहेंगे तो उससे मुस्लिम मतदाता उनसे दूर होंगे और इसीलिये वह इसे एक साधारण हत्या की घटना दर्शाना चाहते हैं।



◆गिरफ्तार मुस्लिम हत्यारे साहिल सरफराज़ के हाथ में बंधा लाल कलावा साफ… pic.twitter.com/oUVfO5jp2d

— Virendraa Sachdeva (@Virend_Sachdeva) May 29, 2023

The 16-year-old girl was stabbed multiple times and bludgeoned with what looked in a CCTV footage like a cement slab on Sunday, sending shock waves through the community.

"The brutal murder of a Hindu girl by youth Sahil Sarfaraz in Shahbad has once again shown that Love Jihad has now rocked Delhi as well," Sachdeva said.

"Love jihad" is a term often used by right-wing activists to allege a ploy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women into religious conversion through marriage.

The Aftab Poonawalla-Shraddha Walker case a few months ago jolted Delhi, and now this has once again warned Delhiites to beware of "Love Jihad", said the Delhi BJP president.

The accused in the latest case, identified as Sahil (20), allegedly stabbed the victim over 20 times before bludgeoning her with the slab in a busy lane of the densely populated neighbourhood in Shahabad Dairy, the Delhi Police said.

Sahil was arrested from Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh on Monday, police said.

Delhi Police PRO Suman Nalwa said Sahil worked as a fridge and AC mechanic.

Sachdeva alleged Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was afraid of losing the votes of minority community and was, therefore, "portraying" it as an "ordinary" murder instead of "love jihad".

"The red Kalawa tied on the hand of arrested Sahil Sarfaraz clearly showed that he is a member of Love Jihad gang working in a well-planned manner," Sachdeva charged in his statement.

According to Sachdeva, locals informed that the accused was harassing and the minor girl for "a long time".

It is "regrettable" that the Chief Minister of Delhi was "trying to portray" the "brutal killing" of a Hindu girl as a law and order issue, whereas it is a case of "Love jihad", Sachdeva said.

He accused Kejriwal of indulging in "political appeasement".

The victim and the accused were in a "relationship" but had a quarrel on Saturday. On Sunday, the victim planned to attend the birthday party of her friend's son but was accosted and stabbed repeatedly and hit by a stone, a police officer said.

BJP leader Kapil Mishra compared the murder with the Shraddha Walkar case. Walker was killed by her live-in partner and who chopped her body into several parts.

"This painful murder has happened in Delhi. Shraddha (Walkar) hasn't got justice yet. Don't know how many more Shraddhas will become victims of this brutality," he said.