Shraddha Walkar murder: BJP MLA Kadam to seek probe into 'Love Jihad' angle

An undated photo of Aftab Poonawala and Shraddha Walkar

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Ram Kadam on Tuesday said he will write a letter to the Delhi Police to seek a probe into the possible "Love Jihad" angle behind the murder of Shraddha Walkar, a resident of Vasai near Mumbai.

"Love jihad" is a term used by right-wing groups and activists to allege a concerted effort by Muslim men to convert Hindu women to Islam through marriage.
Mumbai MLA Kadam and his supporters gathered in Ghatkopar area here on Tuesday and raised slogans against Walkar's live-in partner Aaftab Amin Poonawala, who is accused of killing her and has been arrested by the Delhi Police.

They had also brought an effigy of Poonawala to mark their protest.

The Delhi Police on Tuesday took Poonawala to the jungle areas of south Delhi's Chhatarpur area where he had allegedly dumped Walkar's body parts after killing her in May this year.

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Poonawala had told the police during investigation that he killed Walkar after a quarrel over marriage and the idea of chopping her body into 35 pieces was inspired by "Dexter", an American crime TV series.

Speaking to reporters here, MLA Kadam said, "I will write a letter to the Delhi Police requesting them to conduct a probe into the possibility of 'Love Jihad' behind the killing of Shraddha by Aaftab Poonawala. Are there any groups or gangs behind such an incident? Is an enemy state involved in it? It should be probed."

Walkar's murder should not be seen as a standalone case, he said, adding that similar incidents have taken place earlier.

Kadam also extended his support to the deceased woman's family.

According to the Delhi Police, Poonawala had bought a fridge to preserve the body parts and used to step out past midnight to dispose them of.

The accused had meticulously planned which ones to dispose of first depending upon which part starts decomposing at the earliest, they said.

According to police officials, 13 body parts were found after the accused pinpointed the areas in Delhi where he had thrown them, but only after their forensic examination, it can be confirmed if they belong to the victim.

The police are yet to find the murder weapon.

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