Nagpur: The Maharashtra Government led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis set up a special seven-member committee headed by the DGP on Friday to frame a law against ‘love jihad’, following in the footsteps of governments in Uttar Pradesh and other states, according to reports.
The committee will examine the legal and technical aspects related to instances of “love Jihad” (euphemism for interfaith relationships) and prepare a comprehensive report, which will then be submitted to the State Government for further action.
Gold Rate
Friday 14 Feb. 2025
Apart from the DGP, the panel formed by Fadnavis will have seven members from various departments, including from the Women and Child Development, Minority Development, Law and Judiciary, Social Justice and Special Assistance Department as well as the Home Department, the reports said citing a government resolution.
This committee is tasked with evaluating the current situation, handling complaints about “love jihad” and forced religious conversions, examining the laws of other states, establishing legal frameworks and reviewing legal implications. The resolution mentioned complaints from public representatives, organisations and citizens to prevent ‘love jihad’.
“Various organisations in the State and some citizens submitted representations regarding enacting a law to prevent love jihad and fraudulent or forced conversions. Some States in India have also enacted laws to prevent love jihad and fraudulent or forced conversions,” the government order read. There is no stipulated time frame for the report.
Fadnavis had long called for a law against ‘love jihad’ in Maharashtra. Before the elections last year, Fadnavis said there were over one lakh complaints against forced conversations, which showed a deliberate ‘love jihad’ conspiracy where Hindu women were being lured into marriage by Muslim men using fake identities.
In 2023, Fadnavis said the State Government was thinking about introducing a law to curb “love jihad” but will study similar legislations in other states before taking a decision. “Many cases have come up of girls getting married and converting. There is demand from all corners to make a law against this,” he said at the time.
Reactions to Fadnavis’ plans
Reacting to Fadnavis’ plan to form a committee on love jihad, Congress leader Husain Dalwai said the Maharashtra Government cannot decide who marries who. “How can someone be converted forcefully?… Our Constitution allows us to follow any religion or not follow any religion at all. They (Maharashtra Government) don’t have the right to decide who marries who,” he said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey accused the BJP for not focusing on more important issues and creating political drama “for TRP”. He said, “Your government is at the Centre, your government is in Maharashtra, you can bring any law you want. You can bring the law on love jihad, but in the same city, a loot of Rs 122 crore happens, banks shut down overnight, and they need to be arrested first.”
“Bring the law on love jihad if you want, but first, do not hide your failures. This is all done by BJP for TRP,” he added.
The Samajwadi Party’s Maharashtra President, Abu Asim Azmi, slammed the government, saying they are acting arbitrarily.
“They are acting arbitrarily, and this curtails our freedom. Our Muslim boys and girls are also converting to Hinduism and marrying Hindus, and even Hindu boys and girls are marrying Muslims. This is a right granted by the Constitution.”
Love jihad is a term used by right-wing activists and outfits to allege a conspiracy by Muslim men to convert Hindu women to Islam through marriage. The ruling Mahayuti had brought up the issue of “love jihad” last year.
