VHP Alleges Kerala is 'Hub of Love Jihad', Seeks Central Intervention

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has alleged that the Indian state of Kerala has become a central hub for 'love jihad,' a controversial term referring to forced religious conversions through marriage. Milind Parande, the VHP national organising secretary, announced during a press conference in Kochi that the organization would submit a petition to the Union government demanding urgent intervention. Parande linked these claims to a recent controversy involving the inter-faith marriage of an alleged minor tribal girl from Madhya Pradesh to a Muslim man in Thiruvananthapuram. He accused the state ruling party and police of aiding a serious crime by failing to protect the minor, citing that her birth certificate was found invalid after intervention by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes. Additionally, the VHP criticized the Kerala government for its handling of a separate incident involving the alleged misuse of Lord Krishna's image for commercial promotion, claiming protesters faced harsher treatment than the offenders. State VHP secretary Anil Vilayil also warned that implementing the Justice J.B. Koshy Commission report on Christian minorities could encourage further religious conversions.