New Delhi: A day after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi said that his government would come out with a law to deal with “love jihad”, Haryana home minister Anil Vij said the same will be done in Haryana as well.
“Haryana is contemplating a law against love jihad,” Vij said in a tweet in Hindi.
हरियाणा में लव जेहाद के खिलाफ कानून बनाने पर विचार किया जा रहा है ।
— ANIL VIJ MINISTER HARYANA (@anilvijminister) November 1, 2020
Addressing election rallies in Jaunpur and Deoria, Adityanath on Saturday referred to the recent Allahabad high court ruling which said conversion just for the sake of marriage is not valid and said the government is working towards bring a law to stop forced conversions. “I warn those who conceal identity and play with the respect of our sisters. If you don’t mend your ways, your ‘Ram Naam Satya’ journey will begin,” Adityanath said.
He said posters would be put up of those involved in “love jihad”, a derogatory coinage used by right-wing activists to refer to the alleged campaign of Muslims forcing Hindu girls to convert in the guise of love. Addressing election rallies in Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur and Deoria, Adityanath also welcomed the Allahabad high court ruling declaring that conversion for the sole purpose of marriage is not valid.
“The Allahabad high court has said that for marriages, changing religion isn’t necessary. The government too has decided to check ‘love jihad’ with all its might. An effective law would be made that would ensure that those who cheat gullible women by hiding their identity would be effectively dealt with,” the CM said.
Last week, a 21-year-old college student, Nikita, was shot dead in Haryana’s Ballabhgarh by a man. The victim’s family has alleged that the man was pressuring her to convert to Islam in order to marry him. Some Hindu outfits have alleged that the woman’s murder is a case of “love jihad”. Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) working president Alok Kumar met the victim’s family on Friday and expressed concern over the incidents of “love jihad”.
