The Madhya Pradesh government announced Tuesday that it will enact legislation against forced and fraudulent interreligious marriages with a provision for a severe five-year punishment for anyone found to be involved in or promoting them.
“We are going to introduce the Madhya Pradesh Dharm Swatantrey bill, 2020, in this winter session against ‘love jihad’, which means that a woman is forced or lured by a person of another religion to marry and then tortured to their conversion, “he said. said the state Interior Minister, Narottam Mishra.
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Radical Hindu groups have popularized the term “love jihad”, which they use to describe what they believe to be an organized conspiracy by Muslim men to trick Hindu women into marrying. In February, the young Interior Minister G Kishan Reddy told Parliament that the term “love jihad” is not defined in law and no central agency has reported such a case.
Mishra said they will punish people who promote “love jihad.” “Conversions and forced marriages will be a recognizable and inalienable offense. There will be a provision to declare such marriages null and void, ”Mishra said. He insisted that they are not against interfaith marriages, but will only prevent incidents of “loving jihad.”
Mishra said anyone who wants to convert to marry must inform the district magistrates a month in advance.
AK Gohil, a retired higher court judge, questioned the need for separate legislation and said there is already a law against forced conversion. “If the state government wants to introduce a specific law against interreligious marriages by force, it must first define the meaning of love Jihad because it is more of an agenda of the saffron organization. Forced interfaith marriages, which are becoming a big problem, must be dealt with sensitively with a clearly defined law. “
Opposition congressional lawmaker Kunal Chaudhary said his party will support all laws enacted for the safety of women in Madhya Pradesh. “But before introducing the new law, the interior minister must ensure the implementation of existing laws, as crimes against women are increasing in the state and the government is not taking strict measures to stop them.”
Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesman Rajneesh Agrawal expressed his joy that the state government is taking these tortuous marriages seriously. “The new law will definitely save the lives of many women.”
Other BJP-ruled states such as Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have also promised to introduce similar legislation. On November 2, Madhya Pradesh Prime Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan first announced his government’s plan to introduce the bill.
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