Recently, in a disturbing incident in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, a group of Muslim men brutally assaulted a burqa clad woman. In a viral video of the incident, a group of men can be seen pulling at the burqa and clothes of the woman inside a shop as she struggles to save herself. The men who are trying to disrobe her are also recording the video on their mobile phones. The woman was reportedly accompanied by a Hindu male friend who was also thrashed by the mob.
मुजफ्फरनगर में साक्षात तालिबान.
— Sudarshan News (@SudarshanNewsTV) April 12, 2025
हिन्दू लड़के औऱ मुस्लिम लड़की को इस्लामी भीड़ ने बेरहमी से मारा
रहम की गुहार भी नहीं आई काम जबकि चीखें सुनाई दीं बाजार के हर कोने तक
सफेद कुर्ते वाले की है मिठाई की दुकान जहाँ सेकुलर हिन्दू लाईन लगा कर खरीदने हैं सामान@muzafarnagarpol @dgpup pic.twitter.com/x6PJUkV9fh
As the video went viral on the internet, people demanded action against the culprits. The police have registered a case in the matter and are looking for the culprits.
सम्बन्धित प्रकरण में थाना खालापार पुलिस द्वारा सुसंगत धाराओं में अभियोग पंजीकृत किया गया है तथा अभियुक्तों की शीघ्र गिरफ्तारी सुनिश्चित की जाएगी। स्थानीय पुलिस द्वारा अग्रिम विधिक कार्यवाही की जा रही है।
— MUZAFFARNAGAR POLICE (@muzafarnagarpol) April 12, 2025
“In the related case, a case has been registered under relevant sections at Khalapar police station, and the accused will be arrested soon. Further legal action is being taken by the local police,” the police said.
A few days ago, in a similar incident in Bengaluru, Karnataka, a Muslim woman sitting in a park with her Hindu male friend was assaulted by a group of Muslims. Such attacks on interfaith couples, involving Muslim women and Hindu men, have been justified by Islamists in the name of ‘Bhagwa Trap’.
‘Bhagwa love trap’ conspiracy theory and its aftermath
Bhagwa Love trap’ is a baseless theory about Hindu outfits, supposedly training Hindu youth to lure, and entrap Muslim women and turn them into non-Muslims. OpIndia has reported that an Islamic cleric by the name of Sajjad Nomani has been making such outrageous claims since 2021.
The conspiracy theory soon took the form of a social media hashtag, which Islamists used to share videos of random hijab-wearing Muslim women and their male Hindu friends/ acquaintances and partners without their consent. The posts are often accompanied by emotional messages and seek public help in identifying the couples. Soon after, social media was rife with videos of Islamist mobs ambushing random Hindu-Muslim couples. This would then be followed by heated arguments, physical assault on Hindu men, and even molestation of Muslim women. The victims have been targeted on roads, restaurants, eateries, and even hotels.
Based on local reports and social media videos, OpIndia has compiled several cases (here, here and here) where Hindu men and Muslim women were attacked by extremists under the pretext of the ‘Bhagwa love trap.’ OpIndia has also published an investigative report, highlighting how Islamists are using WhatsApp groups to target Hindu-Muslim couples.
