Ahmedabad registrar office turns tense amid protest over ‘love jihad’

The District Registrar Office in the Gheekanta area of Ahmedabad saw heightened tensionson Monday after Hindu organisations staged protests when a Muslim man and a Hindu woman arrived to register their marriage.

The situation escalated soon after the couple reached the office, with members of Hindu outfits raising slogans and alleging irregularities in the marriage registration process.

The court premises witnessed heightened tension as the woman’s family members, along with the protesting groups, accused officials of facilitating the procedure behind closed doors.

The protesters claimed that the woman had been ‘trapped’ and termed the incident as a case of “love jihad”. 

Following the commotion, police presence was increased to prevent any untoward incident.

The controversy deepened with the focus shifting to the woman’s attire. The woman had reportedly arrived at the court dressed in a lawyer’s uniform, which triggered strong objections from advocates present on the premises.

Several lawyers expressed anger, stating that wearing a lawyer’s dress without being part of the legal profession amounted to a violation of its dignity.

A senior advocate said that both the woman and a man accompanying her had entered the court premises posing as lawyers despite not being enrolled advocates.

“We immediately informed the Karanj Police Station. The police later arrived at the court and have assured us that legal action will be initiated if any offence is found to have been committed,” the advocate said.

Police officials are currently examining the matter, while security continues to remain tight in and around the registrar office.