Protests Erupts After A 21 Year Girl Shot Dead In Faridabad, Victim’s Family Claims ‘Love Jihad’

Faridabad, Uttar Pradesh:

A 21-year-old girl Nikita Tomar was shot dead in broad daylight in Faridabad district of Haryana on Monday 26th October. The incident took place during a failed kidnapping attempt that was captured on camera.

On Monday afternoon at Faridabad’s Ballabgarh when two men tried to kidnap Nikita Tomar outside her college after she resisted, one of the accused pulled out a revolver and fired at her. In a video footage of the incident, the man is seeing shooting her when she tries to resist the abduction attempt. The victim was taken to the hospital but she succumbed to injuries, ACP Ballabgarh Jaiveer Singh Rathi said.

The police informed both the men involved in the murder  identified as Tausif the main accused and Rehan a resident of Nuh, Haryana have been arrested.

Police said preliminary investigation revealed that the victim and one of the accused knew each other, as per news agency PTI. The matter is under investigation, Rathi said.

The victim’s family of the woman has linked the case to so-called ‘love jihad’. The family asserted that the woman was attacked outside her college by a man who was infatuated with her and the other accused is his partner.

Tausif had kidnapped the girl in 2018 as well. Alleging that Tausif used to harass the girl for marriage, the brother of the victim said the family had filed an FIR against the accused back in 2018 after which he was arrested.

Haryana Cabinet Minister Anil Vij has, however, claimed that in 2018, the victim and her father had denied the kidnapping charges against the accused. Speaking with India Today TV, Anil Vij said the victim and her father submitted an affidavit on the 2018 FIR, saying there was no kidnapping. Anil Vij also said that the family had refused to pursue the case.

Haryana Police Commissioner told that, “In 2018, Nikita’s family filed a kidnapping case against Tausif but the family later said they did not want to take action. We have arrested accused Tausif now.”

The victim’s mother said she will not cremate her daughter until the accused is “encountered” and has urged the authorities to take strong action against the accused.

Victim’s sister said, “When the boy tried to kidnap our sister in 2018, police didn’t do anything and instead asked us to reach a reconciliation. The boy was asking her to convert and marry him. Our sister obviously didn’t agree.”

A group of protesters angry over the incident broke into a shop in Faridabad on Tuesday and created a fuss.

Protests are also being held outside the college of the woman with her friends demanding strict punishment to the accused.

National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo motu cognizance of the Faridabad murder. Chairperson Rekha Sharma said, “NCW is taking suo motu cognizance of the incident and writing to DGP Haryana to nab the other accused.”