Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij directs officials to prepare draft law against 'Love Jihad'

On Thursday, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij directed officials to prepare the draft of an anti-conversion law in a bid to expedite the prohibition on 'Love Jihad' in the state. In November 2020 itself, the Haryana government had set up a three-member committee comprising Home-I Department Secretary TL Satyaprakash, Additional DGP Navdeep Singh Virk and Additional Advocate General Deepak Manchanda. to draft a law against forced religious conversions. During the meeting of the drafting committee, PTI quoted Vij as saying that the "enactment of this law will prevent any attempt to get religious conversion by force, inducement, bluff of marriage or by any other unethical methods by anyone in the state". Observing that laws in other states are being studied, he maintained that strict action will be taken against the culprits. 

Read: BJP Vows To Enact Law Against 'Love Jihad' In Kerala If Voted To Power In Assembly Polls

BJP's move to outlaw 'Love Jihad' 

As per some organisations, 'Love Jihad' refers to inter-religious marriages where the woman converts to Islam either by force or guile in order to marry a Muslim man. In 2010, the then Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan had accused PFI and some other organisations of planning to turn the state into a Muslim-majority state by doling out money. In 2020, G Kishan Reddy told the Parliament that 'Love Jihad' is not defined under the current laws and that no such case has been reported by any of the Central agencies. 

On November 28, 2020, Uttar Pradesh became the first state to outlaw 'Love Jihad' when Governor Anandiben Patel promulgated the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020. Under this ordinance, an individual who forcefully marries a girl for the sheer purpose of converting her religion can face punishment up to 10 years in jail. Besides this, mass conversions shall be punishable with a jail term of 3-10 years and a fine of Rs.50,000 on the organizations conducting it. If someone wants to convert to another religion, he/she has to submit an application to the District Magistrate two months in advance. 

Read: SC Refuses To Entertain UP Govt's Plea Seeking Transfer Of Anti-Love Jihad Ordinance Pleas

In January 2021, the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Ordinance, 2020, came into force. Incorporating stiff punishments similar to UP, it states, "No person shall convert or attempt to convert, either directly or otherwise, any other person by use of misrepresentation, allurement, use of threat of force, undue influence, coercion or marriage or by any other fraudulent means". Similarly, the BJP-led governments in Gujarat, Karnataka and Assam have also announced their intention to pass laws against forced religious conversions.

Read: In First Case Under 'Love-Jihad' Law, Man Arrested In Madhya Pradesh's Barwani Dist