New Delhi: An online press conference organised on Friday by the not-for-profit organisation Dhanak to promote a person’s choice to love was disrupted twice by persons who threatened interfaith couples who were sharing their stories, warning them of police action, and used slurs against Muslim men.The first disruption was caused by a person who threatened couples from Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh with legal action. The second person, identified as Mithula Thakur on Zoom, abused the couples and issued death and rape threats.The first person said he would file ‘love jihad’ cases against couples from MP and UP. The man was referring to recently passed laws in these states that are ostensibly against forced conversion, but have been used to target interfaith couples. ‘Love jihad’ is a term used by BJP and Sangh parivar leaders to refer to an imagined conspiracy to convert Hindu women to Islam.Also Read: Anti-Conversion Laws See Love as a Hate CrimeThe man also warned Dhanak member Asif Eqbal, saying, “Shut these katuas (slur used for Muslim men) up. All of you will get implicated [in cases] now. Not one of you will be spared. I have noted down all the participants’ names. All of you will go to jail. Do you understand?”After the disruptions, Eqbal said that these threats represent the danger that interfaith couples in India face today. “You can understand the kind of people who are joining and threatening us openly in this forum. But still, we know that we are not doing anything unconstitutional. We can fight this,” he said.Eqbal added, “I cannot say much about it, we are used to such threats. This is a common mentality and sadly, the government has also joined in.”Dhanak mostly comprises interfaith and inter-caste couples, who facilitate marriages between other couples marrying across communities. Founded by a few interfaith couples, it began as a support group in 2004 and was registered in 2012 under the Societies Registration Act.Sumit Chaudhary, another member, said some right-wing users must have infiltrated the press conference through the Zoom link on social media.Eqbal said the press conference was planned two days before Valentine’s Day because “it was a great time to inform people about the myths surrounding love”.“Love jihad is a term invented to defame the love between interfaith couples. The marriage between interfaith couples has also been difficult, but now the state governments have also started taking great interest in it,” he added, referring to the new laws.Eqbal said that the new laws are not necessary because the Special Marriage Act allows couples to enter into wedlock without being governed by any religious law. “It has its own limitations. A one month notice is sent and you have to prove your jurisdiction. Hence, people prefer to marry via personal laws, because the special Act is too challenging. And if that happens, one person has to change their religion and name for the sake of marriage – which is mostly the girl.”Members of Dhanak rally in support of intercaste and interfaith couples. Photo: dhanak.org.inDhanak helps facilitate marriages under the Special Marriage Act and discourages converting for the purpose of marriage. Eqbal explained, “We at Dhanak say that one doesn’t need to change their religion for the sake of marriage. We don’t just get people married, we want an equal marriage. When people marry somebody from a different religion or caste, they have already transgressed the boundaries of religion and caste and we want this to continue throughout the marriage.”“The Supreme Court directed all state governments in 2018 to have a safe house and special cells for [interfaith and intercaste] couples, and we succeeded in doing this in Delhi. The ordinances brought by some states are a contradiction of this direction,” he added.Some of the couples shared the challenges they faced to get married, ranging from family pressure to fear of the new ordinances. Shoaib, a Muslim man from Uttar Pradesh who is married to Akanksha, a Hindu woman, said that there is always a fear in the minds of interfaith couples, since the ordinance sees their love as “illegal”. Akanksha said that the ordinances seek to restrict the rights of women in the country.Also Read: Woman’s Autonomy Can’t Be Denied Under the Garb of Protection: Petition Opposes UP OrdinanceTwo couples from Bengal, two from Uttar Pradesh, one from Madhya Pradesh, one from Rajasthan, one from Gujarat and one from Tamil Nadu were present during the press conference. Some couples wore face masks to protect their identities.Sheeba Fehmi, president of Dhanak, said that “fringe elements” have been emboldened to such an extent that they have the audacity to disrupt a press conference and issue threats openly. “Support these brave young couples,” Fehmi said.Eqbal encouraged other couples to not let societal and political pressure influence their choice to love a person. “If you are determined to be with somebody, don’t compromise. Your parents will understand, I know they are the biggest challenge. I know your financial status and conditioning also matter in this, but we can at least try,” he said.