Meerut: The young woman from Meerut, who in August claimed she was abducted, gang-raped and forcefully converted to Islam, has retracted her earlier statement, telling police that she had in fact eloped with the accused.
The 22-year-old Hindu woman approached the police complaining of a threat from her family, and in a written statement, denied rape or conversion. She told police that she had gone with the Muslim man out of her own will.
In August, after the woman’s complaint, the accused along with seven others were arrested. The BJP workers in the state, including Yogi Adityanath, the BJP’s bypoll campaign in-charge in the State, had branded the incident as “love jihad”.
Right-wing Hindu groups launched an elaborate campaign in the State against “love jihad” in which they claimed Muslim men lured Hindu girls, tricked them into marriage and forced them to accept Islam.
Police said the woman left her home on Sunday due to the alleged threats and reached a women’s police station.
She was presented before a magistrate and is currently staying in Meerut Nari Niketan, Meerut Rural SP was quoted as telling The Hindu.
The accused Muslim man, Kaleem, and eight others were arrested after the woman had alleged on August 3 that she had been abducted, gang-raped and forcibly converted to Islam.
