Haryana home minister Anil Vij, on Thursday, informed that his government has formed a three member to study ‘controversial’ Love Jihad law. Haryana will become the third state to draft bill against ‘Love Jihad’, following the footsteps of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
The three member Drafting Committee comprises Home secretary T L Satyaprakash, ADGP Navdeep Sing Virk and Additional Advocate General Deepak Manchanda.
Earlier this month, BJP minister had informed the state legislature assembly that the government is taking the issue seriously. Although there are several speculations of forced religious conversion made by India’s Hindu nationalist groups, no legal body have confirmed such trends.
A three member Drafting Committee formed to frame law on Love Jihad in Haryana comprising T L Satyaprakash IAS Secretary Home, Navdeep Sing Virk IPS ADGP and Deepak Manchanda Additional Advocate General Haryana Committee will study the Love Jihad law formed in other states also.
— ANIL VIJ MINISTER HARYANA (@anilvijminister) November 26, 2020
In Uttar Pradesh, those found guilty of conversion through “misrepresentation, force, undue , coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means” in contravention of the law would face jail term of one to 5 years, and a minimum fine of Rs 15,000.
Many non-BJP state governments and opposition leaders have criticised the BJP plan to target interfaith marriages and religious conversion, citing individual freedom. Rights group have described the law as ‘anti-Muslim’ and ‘anti-Women’.
Madhya Pradesh has also drawn up a draft bill to punish “Love Jihad”, which provides for a 10-year jail term for people marrying with the aim of religious conversion. It took only eight days for Madhya Pradesh to make the draft bill.