Assam triple murder: 'Love jihad' or not? Lord Krishna dragged into controversy

A three-year-old Facebook love story that ended in a triple murder in Assam has turned into a mega controversy, with the BJP claiming it to be a case of ‘love jihad’ in a bid to polarise people.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has even threatened to jail state Congress chief Bhupesh Kumar Bora for dragging Lord Krishna into the story.

On July 24, Nazibur Rahman Bora, 25, surrendered at a police station with his nine-month-old baby and confessed to killing his wife Sanghamitra Ghosh (24) as well as father-in-law Sanjeev Ghosh and mother-on-law Junu Ghosh.

Also read: Assam: Love jihad behind Golaghat triple murder, says CM Himanta Sarma

An engineering graduate, Nazibur, son of the late Khelilur Rahman Bora, met Sanghamitra in June 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, on Facebook. They fell in love.

In October 2020, both fled to Kolkata. After a complaint by Sanghamitra’s father, the police brought both to Golaghat. The two had married in Kolkata.

Twists and turns

On March 6, 2021, Sanghamitra’s parents accused her of committing a theft. She was arrested and was in judicial custody for 37 days.

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After securing bail, she began to live with her parents.

In January 2022, Nazibur and Sanghamitra again fled – this time to Chennai and stayed there for five months. Sanghamitra became pregnant there.

They returned to Golaghat in August and started living in Nazibur’s house. In November, they had a baby boy.

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In March this year, Sanghamitra left Nazibur and returned to her parents saying she was facing torture at the hands of her husband.

This led to Nazibur’s arrest. He was in jail for 28 days.

The murder

After coming out on bail, Nazibur was adamant about meeting his wife and child, creating tension between the two families.

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On April 29, Nazibur’s brother lodged an FIR accusing Sanghamitra and her family of beating Nazibur.

Finally, on July 24, Nazibur murdered Sanghamitra and her parents, Golaghat Superintendent of Police Pushkin Jain said.

Two days later, Assam’s Director General of Police (DGP) GP Singh called the crime a case of domestic violence.

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But some local groups, including Sachetan Nagarik Mancha, dubbed it a case of ‘love jihad’.

Assam CM Sarma visited Sanghamitra’s younger sister Ankita in Golaghat on July 26 and said the incident showed that “love jihad is a reality”.

Row erupts

“I had been worried about this, of hiding your identity on Facebook and getting girls to marry. In the end, a situation is created that the girl cannot return. If she returns, society does not accept her,” Sarma said.

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“In such a situation, the girl converts and gives up everything. I appeal to our young women not to make friendship with men so easily on social media… And the people of one religion before marrying people of another religion should think about it many times,” he said.

“The incident in Golaghat shows love jihad is a reality. The movie Kerala Story is not false,” he added.

Sachetan Nagarik Mancha president Pranab Chakravorty accused Nazibur of introducing himself to Sanghamitra on Facebook using a Hindu name – Ripan Borah.

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“They solemnised the marriage in Kolkata according to the Muslim Marriage Act. But this marriage is illegal. The girl was not converted. So how could he marry a Hindu girl under the Muslim Marriage Act?” Chakravorty asked.

The organisation has demanded capital punishment for Nazibur.

‘Love jihad’? No!

But equally vehemently, others refused to accept the ‘love jihad’ spin. As per available information, Sanghamitra Ghosh was not converted.

The Goria Jatiya Parishad (GJP), made up of indigenous Muslims in Assam, described it as an incident of domestic violence.

“It has no connection with love jihad,” GJP president Moinul Islam asserted.

“The boy belongs to the Assamese Muslim community. He has no connection with jihadis. The chief minister is trying to polarise Hindus and Muslims,” added Islam, a lawyer.

He added that in Upper Assam, marriages between Hindus and Muslims were not new. “Many of my Hindu friends have got married to Muslim girls. This is not an issue.”

According to the National Crime Records Bureau 2021, more than 30 per cent of women in Assam are victims of domestic violence.

On July 7 last year, the Assam cabinet approved the identification of five Assamese Muslim sub-groups — Goriyas, Moriyas, Julhas, Deshis and Syeds — as “indigenous” Assamese Muslims.

Congress intrudes

Assam Congress leader Bhupen Kumar Bora waded into troubled waters when he opposed the chief minister.

“Inter-caste and inter-religion marriages have taken place in India from time immemorial,” he said. “But the chief minister is giving it a communal colour and terming it love jihad.”

Bora added: “When Lord Krishna came to marry Rukmini, his best friend Arjun was in female attire to confuse her family. It was also an example of love jihad.”

The chief minister hit back: “God should not be brought into controversies. A Hindu boy should marry a Hindu girl and live in peace. A Muslim boy should marry a Muslim girl and live in peace.

“The term love jihad is used when a Muslim boy marries a Hindu girl to convert her. There is a campaign by Muslims to covert Hindu girls into Islam,” Sarma said.