2 women calling themselves victims of 'love jihad' 'marry' in Budaun court premises

     Budaun (UP), May 13 (PTI) Calling themselves "victims of love jihad", two women on Tuesday exchanged garlands and vowed to live together as life partners at a temple located in Civil Lines court premises here.
     'Love jihad' is a term often used by right-wing outfits to allege a ploy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women into religious conversion through marriage.
     The duo -- Asha (30) and Jyoti (28) -- identified themselves as victims of alleged 'love jihad' and solemnised their relationship in the presence of several people, including their lawyer Diwakar Verma.
     Asha assumed the role of husband while Jyoti took on the role of wife in the symbolic ceremony conducted at the Shiv temple in the Collectorate complex.
     Talking to reporters, Asha said, "We both were deceived by Muslim men who had changed their names and pretended to love us with promises of marriage. They betrayed us and no legal punishment has been given to them.
     "I now detest men and have found comfort and trust only in Jyoti. Even if the law does not allow same-sex marriage, we consider ourselves married."
     Jyoti echoed similar sentiments.
     "Our bond is beyond legal recognition. We have promised to live together forever.
     "Men have only brought us pain. We are marrying each other because we trust each other completely," Jyoti said.
     Both women said they had been living together for the past three months.
     On Tuesday, they approached advocate Verma, expressing their desire to marry and later the two went ahead with a traditional ceremony and exchanged garlands as a symbolic gesture of commitment.
     Verma said, "They came to me saying they were deeply hurt by past relationships with men, especially cases involving deceit by Muslim youths in the name of love. They expressed their hatred towards men and wanted to begin a new life together. According to the constitutional right to life and liberty, I supported their wish."
     The women said if their families accepted their union, they would welcome the support. Otherwise, they were also prepared to live independently, they added.
     They also urged the government to take stricter action against individuals involved in misleading women under the guise of love.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)