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Trending: India's latest 'love trap'

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30/09/2023 GMT

India's latest 'love trap'

BBC World Service - Trending, India's latest 'love trap'

Why are videos of ‘interfaith couples’ being harassed and attacked going viral in India?

Videos of ‘interfaith couples’ being harassed and attacked are going viral in India. But who is behind the trend, and what is prompting the violence?

Videos taken across India are going viral on social media. They show hordes of men harassing and even attacking young couples in the street. 

The clips are accompanied by a hashtag #BhagwaLoveTrap - and have been inspired by an inflammatory narrative.

The theory suggests Hindu men are trying to seduce Muslim women and lure them away from their communities - but there’s scant evidence to support the idea.

Shruti Menon meets the Muslim activists pushing the idea of a ‘Bhagwa Love Trap’, and asks what’s behind it.

And she hears from a Hindu leader who thinks the theory is nonsense, and claims the reverse is happening instead.

Presenter: Shruti Menon
Producer: Sam Judah
Editor: Flora Carmichael

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