Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh India, Narottam Mishra said on Wednesday that the government will soon bring ‘Love Jihad’ bill, referring to Hindu-Muslim inter-faith marriages.
The minister said the bill will include the five-years of rigorous imprisonment for violators. The bill is expected to be presented soon in the assembly.
Making preparations to introduce Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Bill, 2020 in Assembly. It'll provide for 5 yrs of rigorous imprisonment. We're also proposing that such crimes be declared a cognizable & non-bailable offence: MP Home Minister Narottam Mishra on 'Love Jihad' pic.twitter.com/N4NA7Js8Ai
— ANI (@ANI) November 17, 2020
“The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to bring in the Dharma Swatantrya Bill 2020. Under this, the practice of coercing someone into marriage by cajoling or pressuring will be made punishable by five-year rigorous imprisonment. Those assisting in such crimes will also be treated as primary accused…It will be a non-bailable offense,” Mr. Mishra said while talking to Indian media outlet NDTV.
Read more: Love Jihad:Viral videos show Hindutva’s control over Police
“For voluntary conversion for marriage, it will be mandatory to apply to the collector a month in advance.” The minister added that no community will be added under this bill.
Several Indian states have already introduced such bills other like Assam, MP, UP, Karnataka and Haryana are in the process of producing such bill that will declare the change of religion just for marriage unacceptable.
Love Jihad is lie made up to prevent inter-religious marriages. Every time the media uses the term, without explaining to readers that it is nothing more than an ideological ploy, it legitimises the lie a little bit more. https://t.co/z7nJwIJXrw
— visvak (@visvak) November 17, 2020
The term ‘Love Jihad’ is not recognized by any legal system in India. The term was first coined by the Sangh Parivar outfit who claimed it an imaginary conspiracy by Muslims to convert Hindu women to Islam.
A Chief Minister of Indian state said, “Jihad will not be permitted in the name of love at any cost in the state. Necessary legal provisions will be made against love jihad.”
I like Love Jihad. It’s the only kind of jihad worth waging—and, quite frankly, where would I be without it? ☺️ https://t.co/IBf2qHXKBV
— Aatish Taseer (@AatishTaseer) November 18, 2020
At the beginning of the month, ministers of Karnataka and Haryana had announced their plans to introduce a bill on ‘Love Jihad’. Karnataka chief minister, B.S. Yediyurappa, said that government is keen to introduce measures to stop the forced conversion in the name of “love jihad”.
Read more: “Love Jihad”? Muslim killed by girlfriend’s family
“Young girls of the state are being lured in the name of love and money and are being converted to other religions, we have considered it seriously,” said Yediyurappa.
The Himachal Pradesh assembly had last year passed a bill against conversion by force, inducement, or through marriages solemnized with the sole purpose of adopting a new religion.