Love Jihad

In February 2024, the Calcutta High Court ordered the change of the name of a lioness Sita in the Siliguri Safari Park. Some organizations had objected to her being housed with a lion named ‘Akbar’. The propaganda, legislations and police actions related to inter-faith couples are based on the premise that Muslim men are luring Hindu women into marriage, and that ‘love’ is a tool for ‘jihad’. The book argues that ‘love jihad’ is not a category of relationship—it is a surveillance slogan. It allows vigilantes to enter homes, check phones, question faith and dissect the friendships of adult women. The author explores the multidimensional lives of Hindu women, Muslim men and Dalit Bahujan masses and through humour, poetry and personal stories draws connections to reports, statistics and legal battles, making the work a truly delightful read. Irreverent in its tone and blunt in its arguments, it is a book like no other.