Inter-faith couple cancels wedding reception in Shraddha Walker's hometown after 'love jihad' allegations

Mumbai: A reception of a newly married Hindu-Muslim couple was cancelled in Maharashtra's Vasai town following opposition from local organizations in the wake of Shraddha Walker's murder, police said on Saturday. Walker (27) and her live-in partner Aaftab Poonawala who is arrested for allegedly murdering her brutally in May this year hailed from Vasai in Palghar district near Mumbai.

A news channel editor on Friday morning tweeted a picture of the reception invite and linked it to the Walker murder case using hashtags `LoveJihad' and `ActOfTerrorism'. The event was to take place on Sunday evening at a hall in Vasai West area, a local police official told PTI.

(Screenshot of the wedding reception card)

After the tweet went viral, local Hindu and Muslim organizations in Vasai called the owner of the hall and asked him to cancel the event for the sake of peace in the area, the official said. The families of the couple on Saturday visited Manikpur police station and informed that the reception had been put on hold, he said.

The woman, who is Hindu, is 29 years old while her husband, a Muslim, is 32 years old and both knew each other for the last 11 years, the official said. Members of both the families supported their relationship and the couple had a registered marriage in a court on November 17. Around 200 guests were expected for the reception on Sunday, they told police.

There is no so-called Love Jihad angle to this case, the official said. `Love Jihad' refers to allegations by some right-wing organizations that there exists a conspiracy to convert Hindu women to Islam by marrying them.