Maharashtra is set to implement a law to halt religious conversions via ‘Love Jihad’, after serious scrutiny of those passed by other states and legislations. ‘Love Jihad’ has been claimed by radical Hindus as a ploy designed by Muslim men to convert women to Islam by feigning love and using it as a tool to expand their demographic growth.
Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, has announced that his government is still in the process of reviewing laws related to freedom of religion and ‘love jihad’. His declaration came after an interaction with Vikas Walkar, Shraddha Walkar’s father, in Mumbai. The Shraddha Walkar case sent shockwaves and stirred strong emotions in the whole country about a plausible ‘love jihad’ angle after she was found murdered and with her body disassembled into 35 pieces by her partner, Aftab Poonawala, in their house in Delhi. Her parents did not approve of this inter-faith relationship, but after news of her murder, her father remarked that “there should be an awareness about one’s religion and faith.”
It is anticipated that in the 2022 winter session of the state assembly, this law might be passed to put a stop to coerced conversions through marriage. Sources have stated that the guilty shall be sentenced to 3-5 years in prison. In reply to a question, Fadnavis answered, “We have not taken any decision yet. We are studying all aspects. We are also taking this time to study similar laws in other states.” This pressure on the Maharashtra government has come after several BJP-ruled states, such as Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh, have implemented strong laws to tackle issues pertaining to ‘love jihad’.
Since the Walkar incident, Maharashtra has seen several protests staged by the BJP to probe into the ‘love jihad’ angle to the murder case. The state Minister for Women and Child Development, Mangal Prabhat Lodha, has placed an order to the state women's commission to arrange a special force to trace down women who have been estranged from their families over the years and check on their status.
Here’s what some other leaders have to say about this issue.
Nitesh Rane, Maharashtra BJP MLA, declared that the “government is bringing in a law in coming days” to protest against ‘love jihad’.
Chief Minister of Assam, Hemanta Biswa Sarma, has been very vocal about this topic. At a gathering in Dhansura last month, he announced that “There are other Aftaab-Shradha too. The country needs strict laws against 'Love Jihaad'.”
Utter Pradesh was the first state to introduce an anti-love jihad law in 2020. Violators of the law can face up to 10 years of imprisonment. UP’s law against ‘love jihad’ states that a marriage will be deemed as “null and void” if the conversion of the woman is solely for that purpose. For a legal change of religion, it is mandatory to apply to the district magistrate.
These tactics by BJP-ruled states have been deemed as inhumane and criticised heavily by the opposition and civil bodies as a means to target minority groups.
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