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Karnataka College Student Commits Suicide After Hindutva Activists Allegedly Accuse Her Of 'Love Jihad'

"Moral goondagiri."
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The Mudigere police in Karnataka have arrested a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, Bharatiya Janata Party's youth wing, for allegedly driving a 20-year-old college student to suicide because she wrote about liking Muslims on a Whatsapp group.

M.V. Anil has been arrested on the basis of a note left behind by the student named Dhanyashree, who committed suicide at home in Chikmagalur district on Saturday, according to a report in The Hindu.

In the suicide note, Dhanyashree said, she could not bear the harassment by five persons including Anil and and the false claims about her involvement with a Muslim boy.

A photograph in which the girl was reportedly seen with a Muslim boy was circulated on social media platforms.

Chikkamagaluru Superintendent of Police K. Annamalai told the media, "The five had visited her home on Saturday evening and picked up an argument with the girl and her mother. The group had accused that the girl was roaming with a Muslim boy, and thereby, paving the way for 'Love Jihad'. Upset over the development, she committed suicide."

Regarding the photo which was circulating on social media platforms, Annamalai said, "Many have made comments on the picture. We will arrest all those who harassed her orally or through social media. We have taken the case seriously and our teams are working to arrest the accused."

While a case of abetment to suicide has been registered against Anil, the police have reportedly formed two teams to arrest the others.

In the police complaint, The Indian Express reported, Dhanyashree's mother, Saraswathi Suvarna, said that a Bajrang Dal activist named Santosh was repeatedly harassing her daughter over the phone, asking her why she was wearing a head scarf in some photos posted on social media and threatening to publicize "embarrassing pictures."

On one occasion, Santosh reportedly asked Suvarna to "control" her daughter.

Local police officers have called it "moral goondagiri."

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.