Shraddha Walkar murder: Poonawalla did not want her to celebrate Hindu festivals, says activist

MUMBAI: Shraddha Walkar’s live-in-partner Aftab Ameen Poonawala, did not allow her to celebrate Hindu festivals like Ganpati, Holi and Diwali, social activist Shreha Dhargalkar said, adding that this is a clear case of Love Jihaad.

According to Dhargalkar it is possible that Poonawala was forcing her to convert and change her religion to Islam. He was against her visiting temples, celebrating Hindu festivals or even talking to her family and friends.

“He (Poonawala) is not an ordinary man…He is a criminal. Love Jihad, terrorism, or may be some mission or bigger plan in this entire case…it is all possible,” she said.

She has demanded an investigation into the case from the Love Jihaad angle claiming that Aftab Amin Poonawala and Shraddha Walkar argued about religious issues and rituals and religious celebrations during festivals.

According to Dhargalkar, while Shraddha has described herself as a ‘liberal Hindu’ in certain social media posts, she did like to visit the Ganpati Bappa mandap during the Ganpati festival like most Maharashtrians would. But Aftab was against her going for Ganpati Bappa darshan and did not encourage her to celebrate Hindu festivals, which resulted in a lot of arguments and fights between the duo, Dhargalkar alleged.