Now, Karnataka wants probe into 'Love Jihad'

After Kerala, it is now Karnataka that is taking 'Love Jihad' seriously. The Karnataka High Court has directed the state police to join with Kerala in probing the alleged religious conversion racket.

A Division Bench comprising Justices K Sreedhara Rao and Ravi Mallimath issued the direction after hearing a petition filed by the parents of a missing girl.

The petitioner claimed that his daughter Silja Raj was converted to Islam and began staying at a madrasa with the intention of marrying a man from Kerala, whom she fell in love.

Although the girl denied any forced conversion, the court said: "We have serious suspicion regarding the statements of the petitioner's daughter and the case has ramifications for national security. It has raised questions of unlawful trafficking of girls and women in the state. So it has to be investigated by the police."

The court has demanded a detailed report on November 13.

Talking to reporters, Home Minister V S Acharya said, a series of incidents had come to the government's notice and it will now co-ordinate with the Kerala police to investigate the Islamic radical outfits converting naive girls in the pretext of love.

The government fears that like Kerala many in the state would have been entrapped by Muslim fundamentalists luring Christians and Hindus into marriage. Incidentally, there has been an alarming statistics of missing girls in Karnataka in the last six years. Soon a meeting of top police officials will be convened in the state

According to reports, the case in Kerala received more prominence after two female students in a Christian college - one Hindu and the other a Christian - fell victims to the ploy. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Christian groups have both agreed to join hands to fight against this conspiracy.

'Both Hindu and Christian girls are falling prey to the design. So we are cooperating with the VHP on tackling this. We will work together to whatever extent possible,'' K S Samson of CASA earlier said.

The VHP which has started a 'Hindu Helpline' claims to have received as many as 1,500 calls in last three months.