In contemporary India, even the naming of two lions as Akbar and Sita can trigger a courtroom battle. This striking incident, heard in the Calcutta High Court in 2024, reflects the deep anxieties surrounding interfaith relationships in the country today. Love Jihad examines the politics, panic and public discourse that have come to define conversations around Hindu–Muslim relationships. Drawing on legal cases, statistics and real-life incidents, the book unpacks how the term “love jihad” has come to shape law enforcement, public morality and personal lives, revealing a disturbing gap between allegation and evidence.
At a moment when interfaith relationships are increasingly scrutinised and politicised, the book offers a deeply human and timely exploration of love, autonomy and fear. While much of the existing discourse is dominated by sensational claims and political rhetoric, Love Jihad bridges a critical gap in literature by examining the lived realities behind these narratives. It situates the debate within broader questions of gender, family control, community anxieties and the policing of women’s choices, showing how intimate relationships have become battlegrounds for identity and power.
Written by an academic and researcher who has spent years tracking these cases, the book is shaped by deep engagement with this phenomenon. Through careful documentation and lived insight, the author brings clarity and nuance to a subject often clouded by propaganda and fear. Her work offers a rigorous yet deeply human account of how love, law and politics intersect in today’s India.
