Raped In Front Of Rafik's Wife, Asked To Wear Burqa, Perform Namaz: Another Alleged 'Love Jihad' Case Emerges In Karnataka

A 28-year-old married woman in Karnataka's Belagavi has accused Rafik and his wife of manipulating her to convert from Hinduism to Islam, India Today reported.

A First Information Report (FIR) against seven people was filed on the woman's complaint under the Freedom of Religion Act and several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

According to Belagavi SP Bhimashankar Guleda, the woman was allegedly asked by the accused couple to not wear 'kumkum' and was also forced to wear a burqa and perform namaz five times a day.

The woman alleged that she was raped by Rafik in front of his wife last year and that he took her explicit photos using them to blackmail her to convert to Islam.

The woman was made to move in with the couple in 2023 and was demanded to comply with their whims. Casteist slurs were used against the woman to pressurise her to convert to Islam.

Since the victim belongs to a backward caste, FIR also includes sections of SC/ST Act and charges of rape, kidnapping, wrongful confinement and criminal intimidation.

The woman was asked to divorce from her husband with a threat to leak her intimate photos. She was even given a life threat if she didn't convert to Islam.

The second case of alleged 'Love Jihad' came to light in the state when the BJP is organising statewide protests against the killing of Neha Hiremath by Fayaz Khondunaik in Hubbali.