Tunisha case should be probed from 'love jihad' angle: Maha BJP MLA

NAGPUR: Bharatiya Janta Party MLA from Maharashtra Atul Bhatkhalkar on Wednesday demanded that a probe be conducted from ''love jihad'' angle into the case of actor Tunisha Sharma's death, in which her co-star Sheezan Khan has been arrested.

The demand comes days after Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Girish Mahajan alleged the death of Sharma was a matter of ''love jihad'' and that the state was planning to bring a strict law to curb such incidents.

"The police should probe the matter from the angle of love jihad," Bhatkhalkar told PTI in the Vidhan Bhavan complex in Nagpur where the winter session of the state legislature is currently underway. ''Love jihad'' is a term often used by right-wing activists to allege a ploy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women into religious conversion through marriage.

Sharma, 21, who acted in the show 'Ali Baba: Dastaan-E-Kabul', was found hanging in the washroom on the set of the serial on Saturday.

Khan (27) was arrested on Sunday on the charge of abetting her suicide.

Sharma's mother on Monday alleged Khan had cheated and ''used'' her daughter for three to four months.

The deceased actor had featured in the TV show 'Bharat Ka Veer Putra Maharana Pratap' and films like 'Fitoor' and 'Baar Baar Dekho'.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had last week said the government would study laws on ''love jihad'' framed by other states and take an appropriate decision.