The Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020 (popularly known as anti Love Jihad law) seeks to prevent religious conversion done through “misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means” or solely for purpose of marriage. After the initial controversy, genuine cases of illegal conversion, specially of Hindu women by Muslim men, are coming to fore. Moreover, reports of such incidents coming from various regions of Bharat indicate the need for such a law to be applied across the nation.
In Uttar Pradesh’s Shahajahanpur district, a woman has appealed to police stating that she has been a victim of forceful conversion and accused Mohammad Saeed of coercing her to have sexual relationship with him and forcing her to perform nikah with him. Saeed had introduced himself to her as Sunil Kumar initially and rented a place from victim. After gaining her trust, he forced her at gunpoint and then clicked her photos. He also threatened to make the photos viral on social media. Later, Saeed’s family members also came to stay there. From then on, he had been forcing the woman for sexual favours and wanted her to convert to Islam and marry him. The woman resisted the bid to convert.
On hearing the news, officials of Vishwa HIndu Parishad rescued the woman and with their help, she approached the Kotwali police and narrated her ordeal. The police has arrested the accused under section 147, 323, 384, 376 & 506 along with Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020.
Elsewhere in Odisha, a girl who was kidnapped from Jajpur district on 5th December has been rescued after her parents made a desperate plea to authorities to secure her release from abductor Shaikh Abdul Sehmat Khan. While in captivity, the girl had managed to call her mother (audio available at Argusnews, translation by Defence_360 )and informed her that she was being tortured and kept by the abductors at a hotel near a beach in Puri. She feared that if she does not agree for conversion and marriage, she may be killed and dumped somewhere. The victim desperately pleads to her mother to save her & put people in toll gates & highway checkpoints and do checks of vehicles to rescue her as without support of Abdul Sahamat Khan’s brother and father, they cant do nikah in a masjid at Sutahat in Cuttack.
After the matter was escalated to higher authorities, the police arrested the abductor Shaikh Abdul and his father for forceful marriage and conversion bid. He has been sent to police custody for 14 days.
In another case reported in Jagran & Amar Ujala, in Uttar Pradesh’ Kannauj, a Muslim man hid his identity from everyone till he married a Hindu girl. The marriage was solemnized with blessings of her unsuspecting parents who knew him as Rahul Verma and even the wedding card was printed in same name. It was only when the pictures of marriage and card were noticed by people on social media that his true identity and true name Taufeek Khan were revealed to girl and family. Following which they contacted police and lodged an FIR against the groom. This is the first case registered in Kannauj under newly enacted Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020.
In view of such cases surfacing day after day, it is pertinent to note that enactment of special law against such activities is not only desirable but should be mandated all over Bharat. Otherwise, many Hindu women will keep on getting bullied and forced into life of sexual slavery.
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