Patna: Bajrang Dal workers on Tuesday, July 7, burned an effigy of Bollywood actor Aamir Khan in Bihar’s Forbesganj area, days after his marriage to Gauri Spratt on July 5.
The Hindutva workers wearing saffron shawls could be seen burning the effigy while raising slogans such as “Aamir Khan murdabad” and “Aamir Khan jihadi Bharat chodo.”
Taking examples of his previous marriages, the group accused Khan of practising “love jihad” by targeting Hindu women. Love jihad, a widely debunked conspiracy theory pushed by far-right-wing groups such as Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, alleges that Muslim men lure Hindu women into marriages to convert them.
Notably, Khan was previously married to Reena Dutta and later to Kiran Rao. Spratt, with a Tamil-Irish background, has Christian roots and reportedly does not follow Hinduism.
Bajrang Dal leader Manoj Soni released a video statement two days after Spratt and Khan tied the knot. He said Khan “lagataar Hindu behen betiyon ko shaadi racha kar ke line laga raha hai (is repeatedly marrying Hindu women and daughters, effectively lining them up)” to insult the Hindu society.
“Hindu samaj ko jo challenge kar raha hai ki dekho maine lagataar Hindu beti se shaadi kar raha hai (He is challenging Hindu society by repeatedly marrying Hindu women),” the Hindutva leader said, asking where the law, legal system or the courts are.
Soni claimed that Khan was working “to weaken the Hindus as part of a massive conspiracy.” By repeatedly marrying a Hindu woman, he is bringing dispute to Hindu society, Soni said.
Soni threatened to teach Aamir Khan a “lesson if he does not stop such antics soon.” He added that despite marrying a Hindu woman, Khan names all his children with Muslim names.
“Shaadi karta hai Hindu beti se aur paida karta hai Taimuz, Afroz, Salman, kahan ka niyam hai bhai. Akhir unko Muslim samaj ke bahu beti se pyaar kyun nahi ho raha hai? Hindu beti se unko pyaar kyun ho raha hai (He marries a Hindu woman but names the children Taimur, Afroz, or Salman — what kind of rule is this? Why doesn’t he fall in love with the daughters or daughters-in-law of the Muslim community? Why does he only love Hindu women?),” Soni said in the video.
He even raised allegations that the actor was trying to disrupt the country’s harmony. According to Soni, the Bollywood actor is “openly challenging the nation, implying that no court or law applies to him.”
Soni has demanded that the government take stringent action against Khan.
Another Hindutva woman leader said that if Khan was a “sacha Musalmaan (true Muslim),” then he would have married Muslim women. She said, “Tum actor ho stardom ho acha chehra raha hai tumhare toh tumhe Hindu mahilaaey kyun milti hai (You are an actor and a star with a handsome face; so, why do you end up with Hindu women?).”
