Amend laws for stricter punishment in 'love jihad' cases: BJP MLA to UP CM after Mehrauli killing

BJP MLA Rajeshwar Singh on Thursday urged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to amend the state laws dealing with heinous crimes and proposed stricter punishment for love jihad in view of the gruesome killing of a woman by her interfaith partner in Delhi recentlyHe also recommended changes including fasttrack trial no bail to accused automatic special protection to witnesses besides death penalty for rape and murder and life imprisonment for rape in such love jihad casesLove jihad is a term used by rightwing groups and activists to allege a concerted effort by Muslim men to convert Hindu women to Islam through marriageDemanding amendments to the criminal procedural law Singh said there is a need to broaden the definition of allurement in cases of love jihad and it must include marriage or a promise of marriage or conjugal relationship or live in relationshipA copy of the MLAs letter has also been marked to Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju The bonechilling incident of a Muslim man brutally murdering and then chopping the body of the Hindu girl into 35 odd pieces in the city of Delhi is reminiscent of the love jihad crimes that have been reported recently from across the nation the ruling party legislator stated in the letterAlso read Mehrauli murder case Was broken disturbed when I learnt about it says Shraddhas friendThe police officerturnedpolitician said a series of such similar events have led to a scenario of perpetual fear and profound distrust bordering on a sense of alarm in the community and is therefore definitely a cause of great concern for all legislators across the countryThese hate crimes perpetuated by radicalised members of a certain community do not deserve to be treated as regular criminal acts necessitating a fasttrack approach to investigations chargesheet and trial within the framework of our rule of law thereby ensuring that the trust reposed by the common man on our criminal justice system is not impacted adversely Singh saidHe said he has personally engaged with different sections of the society and compiled their thoughts for the chief ministers considerationThe MLA said there is consensus amongst his constituents that it is necessary to carry out amendments to the statute through the state legislature as has been done in the past to ensure the safety of women and thereby maintain public orderSingh was referring to the killing of Shraddha Walkar 27 allegedly by her partner Aftab Poonawala 28 in Delhis Mehrauli area in May this yearPoonawala had allegedly strangled Walkar and sawed her body into 35 pieces which he kept in a 300litre fridge for almost three weeks at his residence before dumping them across the city over several days past midnight according to policeIn the proposed legislative amendments in the letter the BJP MLA stated In order to ensure that such offences are not repeated in the future it is necessary that we adopt a timebound schedule for investigations and trial such that the investigation is completed within 60 days of the registration of the offence and the trial within 60 days thereafterIt is also necessary to consider stricter punishment for the offences relating to love jihad including the mandatory death penalty for offences of rape and murder and life imprisonment for those involving rape Singh saidHe also lauded the state government for bringing the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act UPPCRA 2021 but added that there is a necessity to widen its scope to deal with heinous offencesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever