Pune university student beaten up over 'love jihad' claim; cops, varsity launch probe

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A 19-year-old Muslim student of a university in Maharashtra's Pune city has been allegedly beaten up by five unidentified persons who accused him of engaging in "love jihad", police said on Tuesday, reported news agency PTI.

The incident took place on Sunday afternoon when the male student was accompanying two female students on the campus of the state-run Savitribai Phule Pune University, an official from Chatushringi police station said, reported PTI.

The police have registered a case against unidentified persons and are trying to identify the culprits, he said.

The university authorities said they have set up a committee for a probe into the incident.

'Love jihad' is a term used by right-wing activists and outfits to allege a conspiracy by Muslim men to convert Hindu women to Islam through marriage, reported PTI.

The male student, along with the two female friends, was returning after having a meal when four-five unidentified persons on motorbikes approached them on the university campus, the official said, reported PTI.

They started questioning the student and asked him to show his Aadhaar card.

In his complaint, the student alleged that after seeing his name on the identity card, one of the persons asked whether he had come to the university to engage in "love jihad" and assaulted him and a Hindu male friend who was also present there, the police said, reported PTI.

"We have registered a complaint against unidentified persons under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and efforts are underway to trace them with the help of CCTV footage," the official said, reported PTI.

The complainant is a student of a skill development course in the university, he added.

The university's registrar, Vijay Khare, said they have formed a fact-finding committee to investigate the incident and asked security personnel deployed in the institution to ensure such incidents of students being threatened by anti-social elements do not recur, reported PTI.

Meanwhile, five people have been booked after condoms, gutkas and stones were allegedly found in samosas supplied to a major automobile company based in Pimpari Chinchwad in Pune, police said on Monday, reported ANI.

According to the police, the accused have been identified as Rahim Shaikh, Azhar Shaikh, Mazhar Shaikh, Firoz Shaikh and Vicky Shaikh, reported ANI.

According to the police among those booked were two workers of a subcontracting firm that was asked to supply the samosas as well as three partners of another such firm whose contract was cancelled earlier for adulteration in the snacks.

"Out of the five accused, the three partners had allegedly planted the other two workers to ensure the firm that had gotten the fresh contract would get defamed," police said, reported ANI.

As per the police, Catalyst Service Solutions Pvt. Ltd. was responsible for providing snacks to the canteen of the automobile firm. However, Catalyst Service had given a contract to provide samosas to another subcontracting firm named Manohar Enterprise, reported ANI.

"During the investigation on Sunday, after Manohar Enterprises' staffers were questioned over the incident, it was found that two workers, identified as Firoz Shaikh and Vicky Shaikh, had allegedly stuffed condoms, gutka and stones in the samosas," the police said, reported ANI.

Further, while questioning the accused, it was revealed that the employees of SRA Enterprises (whose contracts were cancelled earlier for adulterations) had sent its two employees to Manohar Enterprises to adulterate food supplied to the company to defame the Manohar enterprise, reported ANI.

"The other three accused are the partners of SRA Enterprises, which was removed from the contract earlier after a first aid bandage was found in the samosa supplied to the automobile company," the police said, reported ANI.

A case has been registered under IPC sections 328 (causing harm by means of poison) and 120B (criminal conspiracy), the police added.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)