Sindhi group saves girls from love

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): They call themselves the Hindu Kanya Suraksha Samiti and they are out to save your daughters from falling in love. This self appointed moral police is the new Indian version of Taliban and they are enforcing a warped moral order in the heart of India.

The ban on mobiles, two-wheelers and scarves that the Sindhi panchayat imposed on its girls, after Priyanka ran away from home and married her lover, is not supported by parents, but passions have flared up to such an extent that no one wants to oppose it at this stage.

Girls from the Sindhi community staged a protest in Bhopal on Friday because they have received strict orders from community leaders, but surprisingly these protests were not going against the elders.

Instead as a protestor, Bhoomika Sabnani, put it, "We are ashamed of Priyanka. She cannot be our idol and she should be banished from the community."

Priyanka Wadhwani was the Sindhi girl who defied her parents, eloped with her lover - who just happened to be from another religious community - and married him.

Says a Sindhi parent, Nitya Talreja, "In the modern age and with the advancement of technology you cannot stop anything, but parents should give proper education to their daughters so that they take the right decision."

Friday's protest in a way reflected the two-pronged strategy that the Hindu Suraksha Samiti has adopted to keep up the pressure against such inter-religious marriages.

While the legal cell will challenge the Mumbai court directive in court, the battle will be fought on the streets as well.

Says Spokesman Hindu Kanya Suraksha Samiti, B L Tiwary, "We are asking for support not just in Bhopal but across the country against forces who our attacking our religion."

The saffron brigade realises that it cannot do much to separate Umer and Priyanka now, but the issue has come in handy to polarise communities and it wants to exploit it to the hilt.

UMAR & PRIYANKA'S STORY
	Priyanka Wadhwani, a Sindhi girl fell in love with, Umar, a Muslim. Her family did not approve of the match so they eloped and got married.
	However, the Bajrang Dal and RSS intervened, staging protests and declared that Priyanka had been kidnapped by Umar.
	The police then entered the scene and illegally detained Umar's brother Shakeel. He was kept at the Koh-e-Fiza police station in Bhopal. They filed a case of kidnappping against Umar.
	The family alleges the police were under pressure from saffron organisations, which gheraoed the SP’s office and demanded action against Umar.
	The Bombay High Court intervened and declared the marriage valid. Shakeel was released and The court has ordered that security be provided to the family. The Jabalpur High Court has too given its blessings to the union.
	However, the Sindhi community was up in arms against Priyanka and has issued strict guidelines for its girls.