Police conducted raids on gyms in Bhopal’s Ayodhya Nagar, accompanied by Bajrang Dal leaders, inquiring specifically about Muslim trainers and members. In a widely circulated video, Sub-Inspector Dinesh Sharma is seen instructing gym owners to bar Muslims from working as trainers or enrolling as trainees. Supporting the raids, BJP MP Alok Kumar told the media that he has submitted a list of gyms in Bhopal, alleging ‘love jihad.’ Another video shared on social media shows Bajrang Dal leaders demanding the names of all trainees and trainers present at the gym. Later, the Sub-Inspector arrived and explicitly warned the gym owner not to allow any Muslims to give or receive training.
“Let me tell you clearly, no Muslim will come here, neither for training or for getting trained,” Dinesh Sharma said.
The video quickly went viral, sparking public outrage and raising questions about the presence of Bajrang Dal leaders and activists alongside the police during the raids. BJP MP Alok Sharma told the media that he had submitted a list of gyms where either the trainers or trainees are Muslims.
“We will give this list to the police in the coming times… Nobody will be permitted for love jihad now… Even land jihad is going on. This will not work. The law will do its work and take action on such matters…” He said. He also insisted that women should be appointed as the only female trainers.
The incident occurred on May 28, after Bajrang Dal members visited gyms in Ayodhya Nagar and demanded that no Muslims should be allowed to come to the gyms. Similar incidents have also been reported in other regions of Madhya Pradesh. In Indore, the demand to bar muslims from gyms followed up after Mohsin Khan was accused of running an illegal shooting training center and allegedly involved in rape and molestation.
This story was originally published in theobserverpost.com. Read the full story here.