The Maharashtra government, under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, established a special seven-member committee on February 14, led by the Director General of Police (DGP), to draft a law targeting ‘love jihad’. This move follows the example set by the Uttar Pradesh government, as per reports.
The committee will assess the legal and technical aspects of “Love Jihad” (a term used for interfaith relationships) and compile a detailed report, which will be presented to the state government for further action.
In addition to the DGP, the panel established by Fadnavis will consist of seven members from various departments, including women and child development, minority development, law and judiciary, social justice and special assistance, as well as the home department, according to a government resolution.
The committee is responsible for assessing the current situation, addressing complaints related to “love jihad” and forced religious conversions, reviewing laws from other states, establishing legal frameworks, and examining the legal implications. The resolution also noted that public representatives, organisations, and citizens had raised concerns about preventing “love jihad.”
“Various organisations and citizens in the state have submitted requests for enacting a law to prevent love jihad and fraudulent or forced conversions. Several states in India have already implemented laws to address these issues,” the government order stated. The report does not have a specified timeline for completion.
Devendra Fadnavis had long advocated for a law against ‘love jihad’ in Maharashtra. Prior to last year’s elections, Fadnavis claimed that over one lakh complaints regarding forced conversions had been received, alleging a deliberate ‘love jihad’ conspiracy where Muslim men were luring Hindu women into marriage using fake identities.
However, Samajwadi Party leader and Bhiwandi (East) MLA Rais Shaikh has criticised the move, arguing that the government lacks statistical evidence to support claims of forced conversions and is politicising the issue by labelling it as “jihad.”
“Earlier, the government proposed a law claiming there were over one lakh cases of ‘love jihad’ in the state, but they failed to find a single instance where a police case could be filed. There is no data to back up such claims, and I raised this concern in the assembly. The government is merely politicising the issue,” Shaikh stated.
In 2023, Fadnavis mentioned that the state government was considering a law to address “love jihad,” but would first study similar laws enacted in other states before making a decision. “There have been numerous cases of girls marrying and converting. There is widespread demand for a law to prevent this,” he had said at the time.
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