The BJP-led Maharashtra government’s decision to establish a panel to draft legislation addressing cases of ‘Love Jihad’ has sparked strong opposition from predictable quarters. The state government has constituted a seven-member committee headed by the Director General of Police. The panel includes officials from the Women and Child Welfare, Minority Affairs, Law and Judiciary, Social Justice, Special Assistance, and other departments. Its mandate is to suggest measures to tackle cases of Love Jihad and forced conversions.
The move, aimed at curbing fraudulent interfaith relationships that involve deception and coercion, has been criticised by AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, who took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to voice his discontent.
Owaisi questioned the necessity of a law specifically targeting Love Jihad, calling it an infringement on the right to privacy. He wrote, “Maharashtra government seems to have no other work except investigating interfaith marriages. It has now set up a panel to make a law against ‘Love Jihad.’ Even the Modi government has said there’s no definition of Love Jihad, and many investigation agencies have debunked this conspiracy theory.”
He further argued, “The BNS already criminalises promising to marry after hiding one’s religious identity. Forced religious conversion is also a crime. This is just an attempt to create an ‘Uncle Sarkar.’ The government interferes in who you marry, what you eat, which language you speak, where you live, and what religion you believe in. What happened to the right to privacy? It’s a fundamental right for everyone to choose their religion and spouse.”
While Owaisi is correct in stating that the right to choose religion and a spouse is a fundamental right under the Indian Constitution, his suggestion that all interfaith marriages are consensual and free from coercion is misleading. His remarks reflect a broader narrative perpetuated by sections of liberal activists, media figures, and legal experts who dismiss Love Jihad as a right-wing conspiracy despite mounting evidence of cases involving deception and coercion.
In response to the controversy, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis defended the government’s move, emphasising that Love Jihad is distinct from consensual interfaith marriages. Speaking on February 16, Fadnavis pointed out that incidents of Love Jihad are on the rise and need legal intervention.
“The Supreme Court has highlighted the reality of ‘Love Jihad’ in its verdict and endorsed it. We are seeing a rise in such cases, even in states like Maharashtra. Firstly, we must understand that a person from one religion marrying someone from another religion is not wrong. However, when such marriages are conducted with deceptive intentions, providing false identities, and then abandoning the children after marriage, it is a serious issue. Strict action must be taken in such cases,” said Fadnavis.
Should Maharashtra pass an anti-Love Jihad law, it would join the ranks of states such as Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, which have already enacted laws to prevent forced religious conversions. Earlier this month, the Bhajan Lal Sharma-led Rajasthan government also introduced the ‘Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill 2025’ during the state assembly’s budget session.
The urgency for a Love Jihad law stems from a spate of cases across the country where individuals have used deception to entrap victims into forced conversions and marriages. Several incidents highlight the severity of this issue:
- Sitapur, Madhya Pradesh (January 2025): A minor Hindu girl was allegedly forced to convert to Islam by Imam Ali Ansari. Her family accused Ansari of Love Jihad.
- Bengaluru, Karnataka (September 2024): Mahalakshmi, a 26-year-old woman, was found chopped into 30 pieces and stored in a fridge. Her husband suspected her lover Ashraf’s involvement in the gruesome murder.
- Agra, Uttar Pradesh (September 2024): Fahad Hussain trapped a woman by concealing his identity as Deepak. She later discovered his real name and was coerced into converting to Islam and forced into prostitution.
- Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh (September 2024): Aalim Ahmed was sentenced to life imprisonment for fraud, forced religious conversion, and rape. He had introduced himself as Anand Kumar and deceived a Hindu woman into conversion.
- Kawardha, Chhattisgarh (October 2024): Sahil Khan, masquerading as a Hindu named Raju, was arrested for trapping Hindu girls, raping them under the guise of occult practices, and defrauding them.
- Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh (November 2024): Shariq posed as Honey to lure a 20-year-old woman into a fake relationship, raped her, and forcibly converted her to Islam.
- Beawar, Rajasthan (February 2025): Six Muslim men—Rihan Mohammad, Sohail Mansoori, Lukman alias Sohaib, Arman Pathan, Sahil Qureshi, and Afraz—were arrested for grooming and blackmailing minor Hindu girls online. The accused were thrashed by lawyers when presented in court.
The problem of Love Jihad is not confined to India. Similar trends have been observed internationally. Investigations into child sexual abuse cases in the United Kingdom have exposed grooming gangs, primarily composed of British-Pakistani men, who have systematically exploited young girls in multiple cities.
The issue has been consistently downplayed by left-liberal groups and Islamists, who attempt to conflate Love Jihad with consensual interfaith relationships. Every time concerns about Love Jihad are raised, these groups resort to accusations of ‘Islamophobia,’ thereby diverting attention from the real problem and enabling the continued victimisation of Hindu women.
The Maharashtra government’s decision to introduce an anti-Love Jihad law is a crucial step toward protecting vulnerable individuals from deceptive and coercive conversions. While interfaith marriages based on mutual consent and respect for both partners’ beliefs are part of a diverse society, cases involving fraud and coercion must be addressed through strict legal measures. As the debate intensifies, the need for robust legislation to tackle Love Jihad remains more relevant than ever.
