Bijnor police forwards charge sheet to court under UP's new anti-conversion ordinance

The Bijnor Police Saturday said it has forwarded to the court a charge sheet in a case registered under the new Uttar Pradesh ordinance that punishes forcible or "dishonest" religious conversion for the purpose for marriages.

Police said Afzal, a resident of Shamiwala area under Mandavali police station area, was charged with kidnapping, rape and attempting forcible conversion of a Dalit woman last month.

The Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020, was brought by the state government about one and a half months ago and the violators could land in jail for up to 10 years.

"The charge sheet has been forwarded in the court in connection with a case of rape, kidnapping, SC/ST Act and UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religious Ordinance registered in the City Kotwali police station," Bijnor Superintendent of Police Dharamvir Singh said.

Forwarded on December 19, the charge sheet is believed to be the first under the stringent law, but the SP said "we cannot claim it to be the first charge sheet filed under the new law".

Circle Officer (City) Kuldeep Kumar Gupta claimed the charge sheet has been filed against the accused for luring the Dalit woman and pressuring her to convert for marriage.

Gupta said he has prepared the charge sheet against the accused.

Pointing out a procedural step, police sources said the charge sheet has been “forwarded” to the court, and the prosecution department will also legally examine it before it is "filed" in the court. Prosecution department officials said they will examine the charge sheet once they receive it.

The father of the woman had earlier learnt that the name of the accused was Shahbaz and he had filed the case with this name, but it turned out during the investigation that his name was Afzal, police said.

In the police complaint, it has been alleged that the 19-year-old woman of Chandigarh had come to Bijnor for a wedding on December 4 with her family. It was alleged that Afzal lured the woman and fled with her on December 7. The case was filed by her father on December 9.

The woman was recovered the same day at Bijnor, police said, adding she told a magistrate in her statement that the youth introduced himself as Sonu, hiding his real name, to befriend her.

She also alleged that he sexually exploited her and pressured her to convert for marriage, police said.

The youth was arrested on December 10, they said.

The ordinance, aimed at curbing forcible or fraudulent religious conversions, including those for the sake of marriage, got the assent of UP Governor Anandiben Patel just within days of the state cabinet approving its draft.

The law provides for a jail term of up to 10 years for any violations.

Under the law, which deals with different categories of offences, a marriage will be declared "null and void" if the conversion of a woman is solely for that purpose.