Jilted Muslim "lover" shoots woman dead in Haryana, arrested
A Muslim man named Taufeeq allegedly murdered a woman named Nikita Tomar, 21, in broad daylight on Monday, because she "rejected his advances." The crime, which happened right outside the deceased's college in Ballabgarh, Faridabad, was recorded by a CCTV camera. Reportedly, the accused had earlier kidnapped her and a molestation case was also filed against him. The accused, and his accomplice, were arrested.
The CCTV footage shows Tomar walking with a woman friend when a car stopped next to her. The accused was seen alighting the vehicle and charging toward her, as she struggled to escape. Her helpless friend couldn't do much. In between the scuffle, Taufeeq purportedly shot her. She immediately fell on the road while his accomplice took him away.
Tomar, a resident of SGM Nagar, was rushed to hospital but couldn't survive. She was a final year B.Com student and had just appeared for her examination. As per TOI, Tomar and Taufeeq studied together till Class 10. Years ago, he kidnapped her, and later a police case was filed. However, the family withdrew the case to keep their daughter away from legal procedures.
ACP Ballabgarh Jaiveer Singh Rathi said Tomar's kin had filed a molestation case against Taufeeq a few months ago. "One of the accused identified as Taufeeq hailing from Sohna was known to the victim and a complaint against him had been lodged by the victim's kin a few months ago for harassment and molestation but a compromise had been reached," he reportedly said.
CCTV footage shows a girl named Nikita Tomar being shot dead by an assailant (Taufeeq) outside her college in Ballabgarh, Faridabad. Shooter and associate flees in car. Police have arrested Taufeeq. pic.twitter.com/idOPIDZfDo
— Raj Shekhar Jha (@rajshekharTOI) October 27, 2020
A family member told TimesNow that Taufeeq was pressurizing her to convert to Islam and marry him for years now. She spurned his demands, hence, the accused planned to abduct her. "He tried to forcibly make her sit in his car but she refused and then he shot her," her father told the daily. Police said Tomar stopped taking his calls, further "infuriating" Taufeeq.
As soon as details of the crime emerged, trends like #LoveJihad, #JusticeForNikita, and #Ekatvam dominated Twitter. The jewelry brand Tanishq, which was recently embroiled in a controversy for showing a Hindu daughter-in-law happy in a Muslim household, was also slammed. Furious netizens told Tanishq this was what "Ekatvam" really about. The brand was, once again, accused of overlooking the ground realities.
Separately, BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje questioned the silence of the "secular brigade." "Secular brigades are SILENT & BLIND to the reality of #LoveJihaad, only ekatvam of #TanishqAd they chose to see! Today it might be #NikitaTomar, tomorrow it may be anyone in our locality or family! Radicalization is real, Love is not but Love Jihad is! (sic)," Karandlaje, Vice-President of BJP's Karnataka unit, tweeted.
