Ghaziabad: A well-known Hindutva leader named Daksh Chaudhary led a mob in beating a Muslim man for allegedly being in a relationship with a 17-year-old Hindu girl.
Chaudhary, who has three million followers on Instagram, is a self-proclaimed gau raksha (cow vigilante), claims his fight is against “love jihad” and rescues Hindu women who fall victim to the conspiracy.
“Love jihad” is a term coined by right-wing affiliated groups and individuals who allege a concerted effort by Muslim men to convert Hindu women to Islam through marriage.
A video of the incident that has since gone viral shows Daksh Chaudhary and his group repeatedly assaulting the Muslim man, identified as Imran. Chaudhary, whose Hindutva group is named Gauseva, alleged that Imran had falsely identified himself as Manish Chauhan to the minor girl.
He claims that Imran is married and has children. “These men, in the name of ‘love jihad,’ are changing their names to lure innocent women,” Chaudhary said in the video.
The video, which has a graphic content warning on Instagram, shows Imran being assaulted by several members of the mob, while Chaudhary continues to hit him black and blue as he begs for mercy.
In one clip, Imran is seen with a swollen eye, and in another, Chaudhary is inside a car while Imran pleads with him to stop, saying, “galti hogayi (I made a mistake).”
“Na ise Allah bachayega, na koi aur. Ab tera baap agaya (Neither Allah will save you, nor will anyone else. Now your father has arrived),” Chaudhary tells him.
In a separate video, Chaudhary is in his vehicle with the 17-year-old girl. He says the girl, reported missing for a month, had allegedly run away from her home in the Etah district of Uttar Pradesh. “Imran, who is a married man, was roaming around with this girl during that time,” Chaudhary said.
We will look into video: Ghaziabad police
Initially, the video was reported to have been filmed in Delhi’s Karol Bagh. However, when contacted, the Karol Bagh police clarified that the incident occurred in Ghaziabad.
When Siasat.com contacted Ghaziabad Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime), Keshav Kumar Choudhary, the officer initially said legal action had been initiated, but then did not provide any further details.
| Edited by Veena Nair | | 
