Mahalakshmi Murder case: Investigation debunks 'Love Jihad' claims, right-wingers left exposed
Bengaluru: The discovery of the dismembered body of 29-year-old Mahalakshmi in her rented home in Bengaluru's Vyalikaval neighborhood on September 21 had shocked the city, sparking a wave of misinformation and communal propaganda. Mahalakshmi, who worked at a costume outlet in Malleshwaram, was found inside a refrigerator at her residence in Vinayaka Nagar, where she had been living alone after separating from her husband.
Following the discovery, social media platforms and several right-wing commentators began circulating unverified claims, suggesting that a man named Ashraf was responsible for Mahalakshmi's murder. These claims quickly spiraled into communal narratives, with some alleging that the incident was a case of ‘Love Jihad’ — a conspiracy theory propagated by certain groups, claiming that Muslim men engage in relationships with Hindu women with the intent of converting and harming them.
The narrative gained traction when Aman Chopra, a journalist with News 18 India, drew comparisons between Mahalakshmi's murder and the infamous Shraddha Walkar case from Delhi in 2022. Walkar was murdered by her live-in partner Aftab Poonawalla, who dismembered her body and stored it in a refrigerator. Chopra suggested a pattern of Muslim men killing their Hindu partners, despite the lack of evidence linking Ashraf to Mahalakshmi's murder.
Chopra's coverage, which aired during a news bulletin, emphasized the name "Ashraf," insinuating that the alleged murderer shared a similar background with Poonawalla. He shared a clip of his broadcast on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “Earlier it was Shraddha, this time it’s Mahalakshmi. The name has changed, the modus operandi is the same.” The narrative was further propagated by the official X handle of BJP Karnataka, which linked the incident to the state's law and order situation, blaming the Congress government’s alleged appeasement policies for the crime.
Radharamn Das, Vice-President and spokesperson of ISKCON Kolkata, also contributed to the misinformation, tweeting, “Another body of a Hindu girl found in Abdul’s fridge. This story will keep repeating, and those Hindu girls still with an Abdul will keep thinking, ‘My Abdul is different.’” His statement fueled communal sentiments, further deepening the communal divide.
Other right-wing influencers and platforms, including RSS mouthpiece Panchjanya, echoed similar claims, amplifying the narrative without verifying the facts. Influencers like @MrSinha_, Kajal Hindustani, Jaipur Dialogues, and lawyer Shashank Shekhar Jha, known for spreading communal propaganda, also joined in, focusing on the unsubstantiated involvement of Ashraf.
However, investigations by the Bengaluru Police have debunked these claims. According to police reports, Mahalakshmi was married to Hemant Das, a resident of Nelamangala who runs a mobile accessory shop. The couple had been married for six years and had a child together. However, due to marital issues, they had been living separately for nine months. After separating from Hemant, Mahalakshmi initially lived with her brother, Hukum Singh, and his wife. Following a dispute, her brother moved out, leaving Mahalakshmi to live alone.
The case took a significant turn when Mahalakshmi's estranged husband, Hemant, expressed suspicions about a man named Ashraf, who worked at a salon in Nelamangala. Hemant claimed that Mahalakshmi had been having an affair with Ashraf and had even filed a complaint against him a few months earlier at the Seshadripuram police station, accusing him of blackmail.
Despite these claims, the Bengaluru Police did not name Ashraf as the prime suspect. After interrogating him, the police found no substantial evidence linking him to the murder and subsequently released him. Instead, the police focused on another individual, identified as Muktirajan Pratap Ray, a colleague of Mahalakshmi.
On September 23, Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda announced that the prime suspect in the case had been identified, but withheld further details as the suspect was still at large. The case took a tragic turn when the suspect, Muktirajan Pratap Ray, was found dead by suicide in Odisha on September 25. His body was discovered hanging from a tree in Bhuinpur village in Bhadrak district.
Ray, who had been absconding since the discovery of Mahalakshmi’s body, had confessed to the murder in a suicide note found at the scene. According to Bhadrak Superintendent of Police Varun Guntupalli, Ray had been evading arrest and took his own life out of fear of being apprehended for the murder.
Investigations revealed that Ray and Mahalakshmi had been colleagues since 2023 and had been missing from work since September 1. Police traced Ray’s whereabouts to West Bengal, where he reportedly contacted his brother and confessed to the crime. Following his confession, Ray fled to his native village in Odisha, where he ultimately ended his life.
The Bengaluru Police have confirmed that the murder of Mahalakshmi was not a case of ‘Love Jihad’ and that the key accused, Muktirajan Pratap Ray, was not a Muslim. The baseless allegations propagated by several journalists, right-wing influencers, and media platforms have been proven false.
Mahalakshmi murder case | Odisha | SP Bhadrak, Varun Guntupalli says, " A team of Bangalore Police had come here to probe the recent murder of a woman there. The team said that the prime accused belonged to Bhadrak. Before the team could apprehend the accused, Mukthirajan died by… pic.twitter.com/RpRqBqpYXb
— ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2024
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Hezbollah fires over 180 rockets, other projectiles into Israel, wounding at least 7
Beirut, Nov 24: Hezbollah fired at least 185 rockets and other projectiles into Israel on Sunday, wounding seven people in the group's heaviest barrage in several days, in response to deadly Israeli strikes in Beirut while negotiators pressed on with cease-fire efforts to halt the all-out war.
Meanwhile, an Israeli strike on a Lebanese army centre killed one soldier and wounded 18 others on the southwestern coastal road between Tyre and Naqoura, Lebanon's military said. Israel's military expressed regret and said the strike occurred in an area of combat against Hezbollah, adding that its operations are directed solely against the Hezbollah group. The strike was under review.
Israeli strikes have killed over 40 Lebanese troops since the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah, even as Lebanon's military has largely kept to the sidelines.
Lebanon's caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, condemned the latest strike as an assault on US-led cease-fire efforts, calling it a “direct, bloody message rejecting all efforts and ongoing contacts” to end the war.
