Will bring proposal to remove councilor accused of 'financing love jihad':' Indore Mayor

Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava said on Tuesday that a proposal will be tabled in the municipal corporation to remove absconding Congress councilor Anwar Qadri, an accused in an alleged `love jihad' case. ''Qadri has been absconding due to serious allegations including funding love jihad. He has lowered the value of councilor's post with his acts. His continuation as councilor is not in the interest of the city at all,'' Bhargava told reporters here. Love jihad is a term used by right-wing organisations to describe an alleged conspiracy to convert girls from other religions to Islam by marrying them.

It was decided at a meeting of the Mayor-in-Council that a proposal to cancel his membership will be presented in the next meeting of the civic body, Bhargava said. ''The proposal will be discussed and voted on. Qadri will be given an opportunity to be heard,'' the mayor said. On June 20, Bhargava had written to the Commissioner (Revenue) of Indore Division asking him to dismiss Qadri as a councilor under the provisions of the Madhya Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, 1956.

Two young men, Sahil Sheikh and Altaf Shah, allegedly admitted in June that Qadri had given them Rs 3 lakh to convert girls. The duo were arrested in separate cases for allegedly raping two girls, a police official said. A case was registered against Qadri for allegedly being involved in a conspiracy to convert girls or women, following which he absconded. A reward of Rs 20,000 was announced for information leading to his arrest. As many as 18 criminal cases are registered against Qadri in different police stations of the city, the police official said.

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