BJP MP Alok Sharma accuses Bhopal's Muslim gym trainers of ‘love jihad', fuelling Bajrang Dal's campaign

The Print

2 days ago

Speaking to the media Sunday, Sharma said, 'There are many gyms in Bhopal and we are also preparing a list where the trainers are allegedly Muslims. There should be women trainers too.'
Sharma's statement came just days after members of the Bajrang Dal visited gyms in Bhopal's Ayodhya Nagar locality, searching for Muslim trainers. They later submitted a memorandum to the Ayodhya Nagar Police Station, alleging that Muslim trainers in the city's gyms are involved in 'love jihad'.
Bhopal: Alok Sharma, BJP MP from Bhopal, has stirred controversy once again by stating that a list of gyms employing Muslim trainers is being compiled and will soon be submitted to the police.
'We are making a list and will be submitting it to the police. The police will do their work, the law will do its job and in Madhya Pradesh there is Dr Mohan Yadav's government and no one has the permission to indulge in love jihad or land jihad. The law will take stringent action against such people. This is all I want to say,' added Sharma, elected as MP in 2024.
He has previously served as the mayor of Bhopal and is known for his hardliner image.
Last month, Sharma had demanded that the government sterilise those accused of 'love jihad'.
In January this year, he proposed exploring Bhopal's iconic lake in search of remnants of a Vedic city he believes lies submerged beneath it. He made this suggestion during a meeting at Delhi's Sansad Bhawan, held to assess the heritage potential of cities for conservation efforts.
In the past, Sharma has called for enforcing a uniform 10 pm closing time for all shops across Bhopal. He noted that while commercial areas like New Market and Sarafa adhered to the deadline, several parts of old Bhopal, like Qazi Camp and Laxmi Theatre area, remained open until midnight. The areas pointed out by Sharma are dominated by Muslim community. Sharma also claimed that the late-night markets were 'spoiling children'.
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Muslim gym trainers face heat
The crackdown on gym trainers in Bhopal began after a Muslim man, identified as Mohsin Khan, was booked by Indore Police on charges of sexual misconduct. Khan, who runs a private shooting range in Indore, was booked along with two others following allegations by a minor girl accusing them of rape, cheating, and molestation. According to the minor, she began working at Khan's house during the pandemic. She alleged that she was raped, shown obscene videos, and held captive for about 15 days.
Last week, members of the Bajrang Dal visited several gyms in Bhopal, asking those working out to disclose their names and identities. Later that day, they submitted a memorandum to the police, demanding action against 'outsiders' who, they alleged, entered the city posing as Hindu men to befriend Hindu women as part of a 'love jihad' campaign.
Following reports of these visits, Sub-Inspector Dinesh Sharma was deployed to monitor the situation and ensure there was no law-and-order issue.
However, a video later surfaced showing the sub-inspector sitting with Bajrang Dal members, saying that Muslims should neither be hired as gym trainers nor be allowed in as clients. After the video came to light, he was transferred from the police station and attached to the reserve force.
Speaking to The Print, Mahesh Lilhare, State House Office at Ayodhya Nagar, said, 'After the video came to our knowledge, an inquiry was initiated. As of now, Dinesh Sharma has denied making any such remarks and the authenticity of the video is under investigation.'
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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