UTTAR PRADESH: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath government seems to be fulfilling the commitment on the ‘unlawful religious conversion’ in the state. It is to curb the rising hazard of Muslim men pretending to be Hindu to trap Hindu girls into relationships.
A phenomenon dubbed as ‘love jihad’, the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in a meeting held on Tuesday cleared an ordinance against forced conversions, which the Yogi Adityanath government has been pondering ever since the cases of the alleged crime had been gaining its foothold in the state.
The ordinance on Unlawful Conversion, which has been named “Vidhi Virudh Dharmantaran 2020”, has provisions that can land offenders in jail for up to 1 to 5 years and attract a fine of Rs 15,000. The bill also has provisions for 10 years’ jail for mass conversion.
The Bill also makes it mandatory for people who want to marry outside one’s own religion to get prior permission from the District Magistrate of the concerned district. For this, two months advance notice has to be given prior to the marriage. It also says that the person who flouts the rule would be entitled to a fine of Rs 10,000 and may attract a jail term of 6 months to 3 years.
Supporting the Allahabad High Court order which nullified religious conversion just for the sake of marriage, CM Yogi Adityanath had warned the miscreants indulging in love jihad by concealing their identities and entrapping girls and women in their relationship.