Strand Title: 101 East

Programme Number & Title: : Love And Faith In India (PG019858)

Date of Transmission: 27/01/2022

Script Version:

Transmission date (known or approx):

Total Programme Duration (mins:secs): 26:00

Time Code

(00:00:00:00)

Description of Scene

Audio

00:00:05:00

Shots of Bajrang Dal arms training camp

IN INDIA, A CONSPIRACY THEORY IS TAKING HOLD…

00:00:08:00

SOT, Kapil Mohda, Bajrang Dal Leader.

Kapil: Muslims are trapping Hindu girls in relationships, then marrying them and fathering 10 children with them... in order to increase their population.

00:00:16:00

Street Shots of People in a UP Town

HINDU NATIONALIST GROUPS SAY MUSLIM MEN ARE CARRYING OUT A SINISTER PLOT TO CREATE AN ISLAMIC REPUBLIC.

AND THEY SAY THEY’LL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO STOP SO-CALLED “LOVE JIHAD” – SOMETIMES WITH DEADLY CONSEQUENCES.

00:00:29:00

SOT, Sameer Parishwadi.

Sameer: I started doubting that my brother had killed himself...because his hands had been tied up. That made me realise...that it wasn't a suicide. He had been murdered.

00:00:38:00

THERE’S NO EVIDENCE THE CONSPIRACY IS REAL, BUT STRICT LEGISLATION OUTLAWING “FORCED CONVERSION” BY MARRIAGE IS NOW IN  PLACE IN STATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

00:00:47:00

SOT, Mohd. Saqib, Love Jihad accused.

Saquib: The police beat me and said , “You were trying to abduct a girl.” I told them, “I did nothing of the sort, ask the girl.” Then the police started hitting me again.

00:00:57:00

101 EAST INVESTIGATES HOW LOVE IS BEING WEAPONISED FOR POLITICAL GAIN IN INDIA.

00:01:03:00

101 East Sting

00:01:09:00

Opener:

Forbidden Love In India
A Film By Vikram Singh

00:01:18:00

Phone videos of a young couple [Arbaaz & Shweta] in India in a car.

FOR THIS YOUNG INDIAN COUPLE, PICNICS IN THE COUNTRYSIDE WERE THEIR ONLY WAY TO ESCAPE THE PRESSURES OF HOME AND SOCIETY.

00:01:29:00

THE YOUNG WOMAN, SHWETA KUMBHAR, IS HINDU, HER PARTNER, ARBAAZ MULLA, WAS MUSLIM.

00:01:36:00

Phone camera images of the young couple.

IN INDIA TODAY, SUCH RELATIONSHIPS CAN BE DEADLY...

00:01:40:00

Cut to a train.

00:01:45:00

Vikram and Arbaaz’ brother, Sameer, walking beside the moving train.

A FEW WEEKS AFTER THE PICNIC, ARBAAZ WENT MISSING. HIS COUSIN SAMEER IS SHOWING US THE RAILWAY TRACKS WHERE HE FOUND HIS 24-YEAR OLD RELATIVE.

00:01:56:00

Vikram & Sameer walking on the train tracks.

Sameer: First, we came running here, and then the first thing I saw was a foot. I immediately recognised that it belonged to my cousin. Then a bit further ahead, there was another foot...and then beyond that was a head.

00:02:09:00

Sameer shows Vikram the scene of the crime.

Sameer: And then to the side here we found a body. The body was lying face down over here.

00:02:17:00

Vikram speaking to Sameer near the train tracks/scene of the crime.

Sameer: While the police were searching... I could see some rope. I started doubting that he had killed himself...because his hands had been tied up. That made me realise... that it wasn’t a suicide. He had been murdered.

00:02:31:00

BEFORE HIS DEATH, ARBAAZ RECEIVED THREATS, DEMANDING HE BREAK UP WITH SHWETA.

00:02:36:00

Sameer: He was under a lot of pressure for the last two months. He was getting calls. Because Arbaaz was a Muslim... and he was in love with a Hindu girl called Shweta.

There is a Hindu nationalist organization...the (Sri Ram) Sena, who didn’t want them to be together.

Legally, the government has given us the right... to love and marry people of other faiths. But these people don’t want that. If that happens and people coexist peacefully... then it will destroy their politics.

That’s why they’ll do stuff like this... to gain notoriety and come election time... they’ll get seats and move forward. That’s why they’re making ‘Love Jihad’ such a big issue.

And my brother became a pawn in this whole game.

00:03:27:00

Sameer shows Vikram videos of the crime scene on his phone.

POLICE INVESTIGATORS SAY THAT MEMBERS OF A LOCAL HARDLINE HINDU NATIONALIST GROUP WERE BEHIND THE MURDER.

00:03:34:00

Drone shot of Belgaum.

AND THAT SHWETA’S PARENTS HAD PAID THEM SIX THOUSAND, SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS TO GET ARBAAZ OUT OF HER LIFE.

00:03:44:00

Vikram speaking to the camera.

So we are here at the Belgaum Court Complex, and we’re here to see if we can interview the president of the Shri Ram Sena Hindustan. Now that’s the Hindu Right Wing organization whose members have been accused and arrested by the police related to this gruesome case. We’re going to try and see if we can ask a few questions, let’s find out.

00:04:06:00

Vikram approaches and speaks to the President of Sri Ram Sena Hindustan outside the court - Ramakant Konduskar.

Vikram: Why did you come to court today?

Ramakant: I have a case here. Vikram: What’s the case?

Ramakant: It’s a communal (religious) violence case.

Vikram: So you’re accused of communal violence...

Ramakant: No, no, no. They’ve just put this case on me.
The police department knows it's not true.

00:04:18:00

THE SENA ARE NOTORIOUS FOR TARGETING RELIGIOUS MINORITIES.

00:04:22:00

Vikram: You said it in an interview, that you’ve stopped a lot of ‘Love Jihad’ cases...

Ramakant: Look, what I actually said is that... if some parents come to us... then we try to find a solution in these cases. We tell the couple to split up because if they don’t... it’ll be a problem in the future...the parents’ reputation will get ruined... the religion’s reputation will get ruined. That’s why they shouldn’t do something like this.

Vikram: What I don’t understand is, who gave you the responsibility for protecting all these women?

Ramakant: It's not like someone gave me this responsibility... this is in my heart. I want to do it. Look, if your sister is involved in something like this... and you come to us, and you say... “My sister is not listening to me, please have a word with her”. In that case, aren’t we supposed to have a word with her?

Vikram: But it is behaviour like this that got that boy’s head chopped off. So isn’t there something wrong with this approach?

Ramakant: If an interfaith relationship happened in my house... I wouldn’t tolerate it. I’ve told my daughter very clearly... only our culture, our religion.

00:05:28:00

Vikram and Ramakant speaking [inaudible].

RAMAKANT KONDUSKAR MAY BE THE LEADER OF A FRINGE HINDU GROUP, BUT HIS VIEWS ON INTERFAITH RELATIONSHIPS ARE OPENLY SHARED BY SOME OF THE MOST POWERFUL MEN IN INDIA.

00:05:37:00

Drone shot of Uttar Pradesh. SAHARANPUR, UTTAR PRADESH.

00:05:39:00

SOT - Yogi Adityanath at a rally.

MEN LIKE YOGI ADITYANATH, THE BJP CHIEF MINISTER OF INDIA’S MOST POPULOUS STATE UTTAR PRADESH, AND  SOMEONE WIDELY TIPPED AS A FUTURE PRIME MINISTER OF THE COUNTRY.

ADITYANATH HAS REPEATEDLY SAID THAT SO-CALLED LOVE JIHAD IS A MAJOR THREAT TO INDIAN HINDUS.

WE CONTACTED HIS OFFICE FOR COMMENT BUT HE DID NOT RESPOND TO OUR QUESTIONS.

00:06:01:00

SOT - Yogi Adityanath speaking to an Indian journalist.

Yogi Adityanath: ‘Love Jihad’ is an international conspiracy against India. There’s a big international group behind all of this.

They have announced financial incentives. Hindu girls are abducted... they are then violated. Eventually, their lives are destroyed’.

00:06:20:00

SOT - Yogi Adityanath at a rally.

ADITYANATH IS A KEY EXAMPLE OF HOW DIVISIVE, ISLAMOPHOBIC CONSPIRACIES LIKE LOVE JIHAD HAVE BEEN USED FOR POLITICAL GAIN.

00:06:29:00

Shots of Saharanpur - streets, locals.

HIS RISE HAS MADE UTTAR PRADESH THE EPICENTRE OF VIGILANTE ACTION IN SO-CALLED "LOVE JIHAD" CASES.

00:06:37:00

Vikram walks to a Bajrang Dal training camp.

WE’VE COME TO THE CITY OF SAHARANPUR, TO VISIT A SPECIAL TRAINING CAMP BEING RUN BY THE BAJRANG DAL, A HINDU YOUTH ORGANISATION  WITH LINKS TO INDIA’S RULING PARTY, THE BJP.

00:06:48:00

Men with swords and chanting at the camp.

Trainee: Jai Shri Ram! (Praise Lord Ram!)

00:06:50:00

SOT - Baijayant Panda at a BJP press conference.

IN RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS FROM 101 EAST, THE NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT OF THE BJP, BAIJAYANT PANDA, SAID THE PARTY WAS INCLUSIVE AND HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH INTERFAITH MARRIAGES PER SE, BUT ALSO SAID THAT MANY MUSLIM MEN WERE DECEPTIVELY MARRYING HINDU WOMEN.

HIS CLAIMS WERE AMPLIFIED BY KAPIL MOHDA, WHO RUNS THIS BAJRANG DAL CAMP.

00:07:10:00

Kapil Mohda is introduced.

Kapil: Don’t break the line please. Don’t break the line!

00:07:15:00

Vikram speaking to Kapil.

Vikram: Could you please explain to me what you’re teaching, and what is the purpose of this event?

Kapil: Look, the purpose of this event is linked to...the rise in cases of ‘Love Jihad’, ‘Love Jihad’ is a massive conspiracy...to turn India into a Muslim country by 2050. Muslims are trapping Hindu girls in relationships...then marrying them and fathering 10 children with them…in order to increase their population. That’s why Bajrang Dal workers like us are training to get tougher. Then we’ll teach other Hindu boys and girls... How to protect themselves from this ‘Love Jihad’ conspiracy.

Vikram: But we’ve seen many cases where people are happy in interfaith marriages. Then organisations like yours get involved, make a noise that this is wrong...even when the couple themselves are happy.

Kapil: You’ll find very few cases like that. Even if a Hindu girl chooses to marry a Muslim boy. After two to four years of marriage... she realises her mistake... because she is turned into a baby-making machine.

00:08:22:00

Shots of the trainees at the camp.

WOMEN AS BABY MAKING MACHINES. OBJECTS OF CONQUEST, TO BE MONITORED AND CONTROLLED.

Trainee 02: Aggressors...Step forward!

IF LOVE JIHAD SOUNDS EXTREMELY PATRIARCHAL- WELL, THAT’S BECAUSE IT IS.

00:08:35:00

Kapil addresses the trainees at the camp.

Kapil: When it comes to ‘Love Jihad’...you must be aware how boys from another religion...disguise themselves as Hindus... and go out into society looking for where our girls are.

Where they study...where they work...where our women go to the gym... where they buy vegetables from. These are the places where those boys focus.

Now this massive ‘Love Jihad’ conspiracy...why was it created?

Everybody should be aware.

In the whole world...how many Muslim countries exist? Come on, say it out loud.

72.

How many Christian countries?

The Christians have 56 countries. And how many Hindu countries? One!

And this conspiracy exists to finish off...the remaining 900 million Hindus left in the country.

00:09:40:00

Shots of the trainees. Some of them speak to Vikram.

ACCORDING TO THE LATEST CENSUS, HINDUS MAKE UP ALMOST 80% OF INDIA’S POPULATION, AND ONLY 14% OF INDIANS ARE MUSLIMS. INTER-RELIGIOUS MARRIAGES ARE EXTREMELY RARE - 99% OF INDIANS WED WITHIN THEIR FAITH.

00:09:54:00

VP1: Why is it so important to fight ‘Love Jihad’?

It is very important because if we do nothing…then the population of Hindus will keep on decreasing...and Muslims will keep increasing.

00:10:02:00

VP2: Why do you think this is happening?

It is to reduce the number of Hindus...so there are fewer Hindus in our country...and so that it becomes an Islamic republic.

00:10:09:00

VP3: Based on what you’re saying... do you think it’s possible for Hindus and Muslims to coexist?

No, absolutely not! Muslims can never live together with us. They don’t love Mother India. They don’t praise Lord Ram. They are ready to die...rather than chant ‘Praise Mother India!’ How can they live with us, you tell me?

Vikram: So what is the solution for this?

The solution for this is...more Hindus should become aware of the problem...and we should throw out those Taliban-loving traitors from this country. We don’t need them.

Vikram: Where will they go? You’re talking about millions of people.

In the whole world...there’s only one country for Hindus, India. There are many countries for Muslims.

Vikram: But according to our constitution, we are a secular country, for people of all religions?

Brother, I agree with you...but we don’t need people...who think like the Taliban here.

00:10:53:00

Vikram approaches the Dool News office.

TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE ORIGINS OF SO-CALLED ‘LOVE JIHAD’ WE HEAD TO KERALA TO MEET MOHAMMAD SOHAIL, THE FOUNDER OF INDEPENDENT NEWS OUTLET DOOL NEWS.

00:11:02:00

Mohammad Sohail is in an office speaking to journalists.

SEEING IT AS A THREAT TO COMMUNAL HARMONY, SOHAIL AND HIS ORGANISATION HAVE BEEN TRACKING THE EVOLUTION OF THE CONSPIRACY FOR MORE THAN A DECADE...

00:11:11:00

SOT -  Md. Sohail.

With 'Love Jihad', what we’re seeing right now...is just when you think a campaign is dying out... it comes back to life again. We need to figure out how we’re going to cover it.

00:11:22:00

Shots of the Dool news office. Sohail is scrolling through some articles online. He speaks to Vikram while going through articles on Love Jihad.

DOOL NEWS HAS REPORTED ON HOW THE FIRST RUMOURS OF SO-CALLED ‘LOVE JIHAD’ APPEARED ON HINDU NATIONALIST WEBSITES, AND WERE THEN POPULARIZED BY MAINSTREAM MEDIA. THEY’VE ALSO REPORTED THAT MOST ‘ALLEGED’ CASES OF ‘LOVE JIHAD’ WERE ACTUALLY CONSENSUAL INTER-FAITH RELATIONSHIPS.

00:11:37:00

Sohail speaks to Vikram.

Sohail: We are publishing fact checking investigations... articles and interviews related to ‘Love Jihad’.

We also publish fact-checking video explainers. One of which is getting shot here right now.

00:11:53:00

UPSOT

We’re seeing allegations of ‘Love Jihad’ surface once again in Kerala. And today, we’re going to discuss the Kerala High Court’s 2017 judgement in an alleged ‘Love Jihad’ case.

00:12:02:00

Journalists at Dool News making a video/working.

SOHAIL SAYS THAT HINDU NATIONALIST PARTIES LIKE THE BJP HAVE CONSISTENTLY STRUGGLED TO MAKE A POLITICAL IMPACT IN KERALA, WHICH HAS MADE THE STATE A LABORATORY FOR THEM TO TEST OUT DIVISIVE POLITICAL STRATEGIES.

00:12:16:00

Sohail’s interview.

Sohail: ‘Love Jihad’ campaigns are seen by the Sangh Parivar (Hindu nationalist umbrella group)...as a stepping-stone into Kerala’s mainstream politics.

Recently, BJP has been using this tactic in all states with... upcoming elections as part of their electoral agenda to engage in divisive politics. Today, we can see that a false propaganda that started in Kerala is transforming into laws that have the potential to destroy the lives and human rights of the common people in India.

00:12:43:00

Shots of Uttar Pradesh - streets, locals.

BJP-RULED STATES ACROSS INDIA HAVE ENACTED NEW ANTI-CONVERSION LEGISLATION OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WHICH THE PARTY CLAIMS IT IS DOING TO PROTECT WOMEN AGAINST FRAUDULENT CONVERSION. THE STATE WHICH IS MOST RIGOROUSLY ENFORCING IT IS UTTAR PRADESH. A STRICT ANTI-CONVERSION LAW WAS PASSED HERE IN 2020 AND ALTHOUGH THE STATE CLAIMS IT IS NOT MEANT TO TARGET ANY COMMUNITY IN PARTICULAR, THE NUMBERS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. OF THE 86, 79 WERE MUSLIM.

00:13:14:00

Vikram meets Kamal Mashroof.

HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER MASHROOF KAMAL SAYS THE LAW FOLLOWS A PATTERN OF LEGALISED DISCRIMINATION AGAINST MUSLIMS IN UTTAR PRADESH - AN ACCUSATION THAT THE BJP DENIES.

00:13:23:00

Kamal Mashroof speaks to Vikram in a car.

Kamal: Look, there are interfaith marriages on both sides. Muslims girls are marrying Hindu boys...but these anti-conversion laws aren’t applied to them. They’re celebrated for ‘returning home’.

But if a Hindu girl marries, it’s called ‘Love Jihad’.
And this discrimination is happening openly. The whole administration and political leaders support this.
So there’s no point investigating the ways in which this is happening. How do we save ourselves from this discrimination?

What should we do? This is what is important now.

00:14:08:00

Drone shot of car with Kamal and Vikram going to Saquib’s home.

FOR MASHROOF, IT MEANS FIGHTING FOR HIS COMMUNITY’S RIGHTS IN COURT. TODAY HE IS MEETING A CLIENT FROM A PIVOTAL CASE...

00:14:15:00

Shots of Saqib working.

SAQIB IS THE YOUNGEST PERSON TO BE CHARGED UNDER THE ANTI-CONVERSION LAW. HIS FAMILY SAY HE WAS 16 WHEN HE WAS ARRESTED AND SENT TO JAIL FOR SIX MONTHS, WITHOUT A TRIAL.

LOCAL POLICE SAY HE WAS TRYING TO ABDUCT AND CONVERT A HINDU GIRL.

00:14:33:00

SOT – a cop speaking to camera about Saquib’s case.

It has come to our attention that…an individual called Saquib lied to a girl that his name was Sonu…and trapped her in a web of love with his false identity. Then he abducted her and put pressure on her to change her religion.

00:14:48:00

Saquib sits down at his home in the front yard.

SAQUIB DENIES THE ALLEGATIONS.

00:14:51:00

Saquib speaks to Vikram.

Saqib: It was night-time...and I was staying over at a friend’s place. I couldn’t sleep...so I went for a walk. There was a girl standing there... and she had a bicycle...and her tyre was punctured. She said she needed help...and asked if I could help her get home. I said okay.

Then some boys came...and started roughing us up. They said we were thieves...and they started beating me.

00:15:25:00

Phone footage of the night Saquib was beaten up by the mob are shown.

Saquib: They beat me a lot. I didn’t think I was going to survive. The police then took us and beat me with wooden planks.

00:15:25:00

Saquib speaking to Vikram.

Saquib: After that they said, “You were trying to abduct a girl”. I told them, “I did nothing of the sort, ask the girl”. Then the police started hitting me again. They said, “There are other boys working with you, tell us their names”. They beat me a lot for that too.

00:16:03:00

Saquib: Jail was very difficult. I couldn’t sleep properly. I couldn’t eat properly. I would cry all the time. Every single moment there...was very difficult for me.

00:16:22:00

Vikram: And why would you cry?

Saquib: Because I was punished for something I didn’t do. I was imprisoned for something... I didn't even know or think about.

00:16:47:00

Shots of Saquib at his home.

SAQUIB WAS JAILED DESPITE THE GIRL CLEARLY STATING TO LOCAL MEDIA THAT SHE DIDN’T KNOW HIM AND THAT HE MADE NO ATTEMPT TO CHANGE HER RELIGION.

00:16:55:00

Phone footage of the girl speaking.

Was there an attempt to change your religion?

Girl: No, no attempt at all.

So it’s a false accusation?

Girl: Yes.

There was nothing of that sort?

Girl: No.

00:17:08:00

Shots of Saquib at his home. Introduction to Shanjida Khatoon.

IF CONVICTED, HE FACES TEN YEARS IN PRISON. HIS MOTHER, SHANJIDA SAYS THE FAMILY IS DEVASTATED BY THE ACCUSATIONS.

00:17:18:00

SOT - Shanjida Khatoon, Saqib’s mother speaking.

Shanjida Khatoon: My boy has been framed in this case.
When even the girl denies knowing him...her father, the head of their village... everybody denies there was an attempt to convert. So why this accusation?

We didn’t even know what this ‘Love Jihad’ was.
Right now, it’s a really bad atmosphere for Muslims...there are lots of problems. Even if they don’t do something wrong...they’re being found guilty.

00:17:42:00

Kamal, Saqib and Vikram go to the court.

SAQUIB HAS TO TRAVEL 5 HOURS TO ATTEND MONTHLY COURT SESSIONS OR HIS BAIL COULD GET CANCELLED.

AS AN APPRENTICE WELDER WORKING IN ANOTHER STATE, HE EARNS JUST 65 DOLLARS A MONTH. AND THE TRIAL IS CRIPPLING HIM FINANCIALLY. TODAY, AFTER HOURS OF WAITING, THE OTHER SIDE ONCE AGAIN FAILS TO SHOW UP.

EVEN IF SAQUIB IS CLEARED, IT COULD TAKE HIM YEARS TO BE ACQUITTED. LIKE FOR MANY POOR PEOPLE NAVIGATING INDIA’S LEGAL SYSTEM, SOMETIMES THE PROCESS ITSELF IS THE PUNISHMENT.

00:18:15:00

Kamal speaks to Vikram outside the court.

Kamal: What’s actually happening here is that even in fake cases, the police will send someone to jail...and even if they are acquitted by the court, there is no action taken against the police. But I’m still confident that things can and will get better. Because the number of people...that are trying to poison the atmosphere...there’s not so many of them.

But right now, they are strong, and they’re in power. Today, but maybe not tomorrow. This is still a democracy. No matter how hard they try to destroy it. It’s not that easy.

00:18:47:00

Drone shot of Kerala.

KAMAL ISN’T THE ONLY ONE FIGHTING BACK. WITH MD. SUHAIL OF DOOL NEWS, I AM MEETING ATHIRA AND SHAMEEM, AN INTER-FAITH COUPLE FROM KERALA WHO HAVE BECOME ACTIVISTS AGAINST SO-CALLED LOVE JIHAD...THE COUPLE FACED HARASSMENT FROM HINDU NATIONALIST TROLLS AFTER THEIR NAMES WERE POSTED ON A KERALA GOVERNMENT WEBSITE...

THEIR ACTIVISM LED TO THE GOVERNMENT SCRAPPING ITS POLICY OF PUBLISHING NAMES OF INTER-FAITH MARRIAGE APPLICANTS ONLINE.

00:19:18:00

Vikram and Sohail meet Athira and Shameem.

Athira [SB]: It’s not this easy for most of the couples who are getting into inter-faith marriage right, because there is a lot of societal pressure, there’s also, it’s not just societal, but you know, most of the times, the parents themselves are not in agreement.

00:19:32:00

ATHIRA AND SHAMEEM CHOSE TO MARRY THROUGH THE SPECIAL MARRIAGES ACT, WHICH ALLOWS INTERFAITH COUPLES IN INDIA TO WED WITHOUT CHANGING THEIR RELIGION. BUT THE ACT HAS CONTROVERSIAL PROVISIONS - COUPLES NEED APPROVAL FROM MARRIAGE OFFICERS, AND THEY MUST WAIT AT LEAST 30 DAYS TO GET IT. DURING THIS TIME THEIR NAMES ARE PUBLICLY DISPLAYED, MAKING THEM POTENTIAL TARGETS. ATHIRA AND SHAMEEM’S NAMES AND ADDRESSES WERE PUBLISHED ON SOCIAL MEDIA, AND THEY WERE PUT ON SO-CALLED LOVE JIHAD LISTS CIRCULATED ON WHATSAPP...  

00:20:01:00

Athira speaking to Vikram.

Athira [SB]: They have basically said that all women are naïve, no one can use their brain, they can be easily manipulated. And they can be brainwashed. This is the narrative. That really irks, because throughout your life as a girl, as a woman, you are constantly living in an extremely patriarchal society which is always having a very misogynistic lens at the way that they are looking at you grow up. You’ve constantly fought all this. You’re fighting and you’re fighting and you’ve gotten somewhere and again when you want to decide who your partner for life should be, again they’re basically saying that no, you have no agency, you are not intelligent enough to make the choice, let us speak to your parents.

Vikram: So you decided to respond not only by going ahead with this, but also you posted about what happened to you and that led to some change. Why did you decide to do that?

Athira [SB]: Using our applications they were able to intimidate and instil fear in a lot of interfaith couples who might have wanted to go through this process. That fear, right.

And that is why we decided that okay, this has to stop. Which is why we thought, acknowledging privilege is one thing but what do we do with this privilege? Which is why we wrote about it and the honourable minister brought a change but we didn’t want to stop there, because it's not just a problem of having these applications on a digital space, it's about the act itself. How it basically infringes on freedom of matrimonial alliance, which is why we’ve filed a petition in the Supreme Court to amend the Special Marriage Act. When you don’t have this 30 day clause in any other marriage
act, why only for interfaith couples?

00:21:49:00

IF SUCCESSFUL, ATHIRA’S PETITION COULD HAVE A RADICAL IMPACT ON THE FATE OF HUNDREDS, OR EVEN THOUSANDS OF INTERFAITH COUPLES ACROSS INDIA. CURRENTLY, IN ORDER TO GET MARRIED, MANY OF THEM HAVE TO RUN AWAY FROM HOME AND GO INTO HIDING. THEY MUST THEN WAIT MONTHS FOR THEIR MARRIAGE APPLICATIONS TO BE APPROVED.

00:22:07:00

Intro: young couple from Kerala taking refuge at Dhanak of Humanity, Delhi.

THIS YOUNG COUPLE IS ONE OF THEM. THEY’VE JUST ARRIVED IN NEW DELHI, AFTER RUNNING AWAY FROM THEIR HOMES IN KERALA.

IN THIS CASE, IT’S THE BOY WHO IS HINDU AND THE GIRL - MUSLIM, BUT GIVEN THE WIDESPREAD OPPOSITION TO INTER-FAITH MARRIAGE AMONGST BOTH COMMUNITIES, THEY STILL FACE A THREAT TO THEIR LIVES.

00:22:25:00

Interview with the young couple from Kerala.

Boy: We’ve been in love for almost seven years and if we would like to continue this forever then we have to take such a risk.

And it’s a do or die situation.

00:22:41:00

WHEN THE GIRL’S PARENTS FOUND OUT ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP, THEY TRIED TO FORCIBLY MARRY HER TO ANOTHER MAN.

00:22:48:00

Girl: I’m afraid of his life, they may harm him.
They don’t do anything to me but they harm, our community people also try to harm him, because he’s from another religion. So we came to a safer place. We think it is far from our native (home).

So it is safe.

00:23:10:00

The young couple filling up documents.

THEY ARE CURRENTLY HIDING IN THE OFFICES OF DHANAK, A DELHI-BASED NGO THAT SUPPORTS INTERFAITH COUPLES.

00:23:18:00

Interview with the young couple from Kerala.

Boy: We chose the Special Marriage Act since we respect each other, each other's culture, celebration...and every holy thing like the Quran, Gita. We respect each other, so we won’t convert our faith for the purpose of marriage. So we chose the Special Marriage Act.

00:23:48:00

The young couple packing. Shots of the Dhanak of Humanity office.

THE COUPLE WILL NEED TO BE IN DELHI FOR AT LEAST TWO MONTHS. IT'S TOO RISKY FOR THEM TO STAY IN THIS OFFICE SO THEY WILL SOON BE MOVED TO A SECURE GOVERNMENT SAFEHOUSE.. 

00:23:57:00

The young couple meet Asif Iqbal.

ASIF IQBAL, DHANAK’S FOUNDER, IS NOW CAMPAIGNING FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SAFE HOUSES FOR SUCH COUPLES ACROSS INDIA. HE WANTS THE YOUNG LOVERS FROM KERALA TO HELP WITH THE CAMPAIGN.

00:24:07:00

Asif Iqbal addressing the young couple at Dhanak.

Asif: You have done a civil marriage. Is it correct or incorrect? Correct, sir? Huh…you feel correct? Why is there a hesitation that what we have done, and what we are talking about it, is wrong? It should be removed. If you think that it is not only limited to us, this message should also go to...not just to the couples, but also to the society and those people who are stopping such kinds of relationships.

It can only be possible if we talk about it. It’s like we tell our story, in our words. And those people who are against it should respect the constitution of India. The constitutional right given by India, rather than making it religious. Respect the decision taken by a female. An adult female, educated female, that is the message.

00:25:21:00

Asif bids goodbye to the couple and the young couple walk out of Dhanak’s office.

A MESSAGE THAT IS OFTEN DROWNED OUT BY DECEPTIVE AND DANGEROUS CONSPIRACY THEORIES LIKE ‘LOVE JIHAD’.

00:25:27:00

THIS BRAVE YOUNG COUPLE, THOUGH, ARE AN ANTIDOTE TO THE HATE AND DIVISION.

00:25:33:00

AS THEY FIGHT FOR THEIR RIGHT TO CHOOSE THEIR LIFE PARTNER, THEY ARE PROOF THAT INDIA’S DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES CAN BE UNITED - BY LOVE.

00:25:52:00

OUTRO ANIMATION