In Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, VHP camps are held to discourage Muslim males from giving Hindu women “mehndi”

At eleven sites in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal, and Rashtriya Sevika Samiti are organizing “mehendi camps” in a concerted effort to persuade people against allowing Muslim males to henna Hindu women’s hands.

The “camps” are being planned in honor of the Hindu holiday “Karwa Chauth.”

The VHP’s Prant Sah Gau Raksha Pramukh in Muzaffarnagar, Maheshwari, described it as a part of their two-year campaign to prevent Hindu girls from being targeted for religious conversion. They said that shopkeepers hired Muslims as henna artists, who then took advantage of the situation to entice Hindu girls and women by claiming to be able to provide their services for less money.

Muslim lads exchange phone numbers with Hindu ladies and wear kalawas, a holy thread tied around the wrists, to conceal their identities. Maheshwari said, “This was the first step of love jihad,” and that it was forbidden for Muslim ladies to attend these programs.

But Maheshwari was unable to offer specifics on even one occurrence. Girls don’t want to talk about such things, therefore they don’t often end up on record, she said.

However, District Magistrate Arvind Malappa Bangari declined to comment at this time about the “camps.” He said, “I’ve learned about it and can only comment on it after gathering more information.”

Lalit Mohan, the Kranti Sena’s in-charge for West Uttar Pradesh, said that the camps will run through Tuesday, Karwa Chauth. They began on Sunday.

He said that when merchants were first convinced not to employ Muslim henna artists, camps were set up to provide this service to consumers right at their door.

Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind’s state vice-president, Maulana Nazar, condemned the boycott of Muslims on Wednesday and accused the VHP and other organizations of inciting animosity in the community. He said, “They are destroying the social fabric,” and went on to say that the Constitution, which forbids caste and religion-based discrimination, plainly violated such a scheme.