Is love jihad spectre haunting India? 5 BJP-ruled states plan laws

Five BJPruled states are planning to bring in laws to curb lsquolove jihadrsquo ndash a conspiracy theory allegedly coined by rightwing activists who believe that ldquoinnocentrdquo and ldquogulliblerdquo Hindu women are tricked into marriage by Muslim men for conversion to IslamWhile arguments can be made that the Special Marriages Act allows for a special form of marriage for the people of India to marry irrespective of their religion its elaborate process is timeconsuming which may be a reason that one of the partners opt for religious conversion in an interfaith marriageThough the Ministry of Home Affairs MHA told the Lok Sabha in February that love jihad is not defined in law and no case has been reported by any central agencies the fact that five states are serious about bringing legislations to stop it is quite unforeseenHere is the list of BJPruled stated that are planning laws against lsquolove jihadrsquoUTTAR PRADESHThe Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has decided to bring in stringent legislation against love jihad citing cases are on the rise in the state The Home Department has sent a proposal to the Law Department in this regard The Law Department will work out the legal modalities after which the government is likely to issue an ordinance in this regardThe state governments decision comes after the chief minister had said in a byelection meeting in Jaunpur in October that his government was planning a strict law against lsquolove jihadrsquoYogi Adityanath was the first BJP chief minister who spoke about bringing a law against lsquolove jihadrsquo In a speech that went viral Adityanath had said We will bring an effective law Its my warning to all those who play with the honour and dignity of our sisters and daughters by not revealing their real names and identities If they do not mend their ways their Ram Naam Satya journey will startOn November 5 a plea was moved in the Supreme Court seeking setting aside of an Allahabad High Court order which held that conversions just for the sake of marriage are invalid The plea said the Constitution provides for right to freedom of religion and also right to convert into any religion as many times as one wants to with no tabsIn the order passed on September 23 the High Court had declined police protection to a married couple in a case where a Muslim girl had converted to Hinduism and married a Hindu boyMADHYA PRADESHThe Shivraj Singh Chouhanled Madhya Pradesh government is all set to table the Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Bill 2020 in the upcoming Assembly session with the aim to introduce a new law to put an end to incidents of religious conversion and lovejihad in the stateAccording to the proposed Act there will be a provision of imprisonment for up to five years for those indulging in or abetting forceful religious conversionsState Home Minister Dr Narottam Mishra said the state government will introduce a Bill prohibiting marriage on the basis of religious conversions in the state This Bill he said will declare forceful religious conversions and lovejihad as a nonbailable offence wherein the main accused and hisher associates in crime will be awarded a rigorous punishment upto five yearsThe CM had said lovejihad and marriage on the pretext of religious conversion in any form will not be tolerated as it is an illegal and unlawful activity so a law will soon be made to curb itKARNATAKAOn November 5 Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said the state government is already in talks with experts to frame a law that will ban religious conversions for marriages He said ldquoI agree with my party colleagues that we need a law to ban religious conversions for the sake marriagerdquoldquoMost of them have agreed that the state needs a robust legal framework to prevent such conversions For some even Love has taken the shape of Jihadrdquo he saidHARYANAOn November 17 Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij said a stringent law will be enacted to control lsquolove jihadrsquo cases and a committee will be formed for the sameldquoWe have decided to set up a drafting committee comprising members from the Home Department and Office of the Advocate General Haryana to make a strict law against love jihad We will also have a detailed discussion with the Chief Ministerrdquo Vij had told ANIHis assertion came in the wake of the killing of 21yearold college student Nikita Tomar in Haryanas Ballabhgarh in October The victims family had alleged that the accused was pressuring her to convert to Islam in order to marry himASSAMBJP minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that if his party returns to power in 2021 elections in Assam they will ensure jail term for anyone who harasses an Assamese girl or makes her a victim of love jihad by hiding identityldquoSocial media is new menace since it is helping in promoting love jihad Through social media Assamese girls are falling prey to love jihad this is a cultural aggression on our society and later these girls might have to face talaq Biswa had saidWHAT RAJASTHAN CHIEF MINISTER SAIDRajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday gave a strong statement on lovejihad and said that it is a term manufactured by the BJP to divide the nation Marriage is a matter of personal liberty and bringing a law to curb it is completely unconstitutional he tweetedGehlot took to Twitter and unleashed a series of tweets to express his thoughts on lovejihad to say Love Jihad is a word manufactured by BJP to divide the Nation amp disturb communal harmony Marriage is a matter of personal liberty bringing a law to curb it is completely unconstitutional amp it will not stand in any court of law Jihad has no place in LoveLove Jihad is a word manufactured by BJP to divide the Nation amp disturb communal harmony Marriage is a matter of personal liberty bringing a law to curb it is completely unconstitutional amp it will not stand in any court of law Jihad has no place in Love1mdash Ashok Gehlot ashokgehlot51 November 20 2020In the second tweet he said They are creating an environment in the nation where consenting adults would be at the mercy of state power Marriage is a personal decision amp they are putting curbs on it which is like snatching away personal libertyThey are creating an environment in the nation where consenting adults would be at the mercy of state power Marriage is a personal decision amp they are putting curbs on it which is like snatching away personal liberty2mdash Ashok Gehlot ashokgehlot51 November 20 2020In the third tweet on lovejihad he said It seems a ploy to disrupt communal harmony fuel social conflict amp disregard constitutional provisions like the state not discriminating against citizens on any groundIt seems a ploy to disrupt communal harmony fuel social conflict amp disregard constitutional provisions like the state not discriminating against citizens on any ground3mdash Ashok Gehlot ashokgehlot51 November 20 2020CONTROVERSY OVER TANISHQ AD ON INTERFAITH COUPLEIn October Titan Grouprsquos jewellery brand Tanishq had released a commercial to promote its new collection Ekatvam which means unionThe video was set in the backdrop of the baby shower of a Hindu woman married into a Muslim family It showed how she gears up for the function and her inlaws treat her with utmost care and respectAlso Read Tanishq Takes Down Ad On Interfaith Couple Amid Social Media OutrageHowever this did not go down well with a section of the Twitterati who soon started accusing Tanishq of promoting lovejihad Boycott Tanishq started trending across social media platforms mainly on Twitter Owing to the incessant trolls Tanishq had to take down the commercial Keep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news