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Man arrested for ‘forcing’ former live-in partner to change religion in MP
Police superintendent Dharamveer Yadav said Rafi Khan has been booked under the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act and Indian Penal Code’s Sections 376 (rape) and 419 (cheating)
A 40-year-old man was on Friday arrested in Satna under Madhya Pradesh’s anti-conversation law after his former live-in partner of 15 years and the mother of their 13-year-old daughter accused him of raping her and forcing her to convert.
Police superintendent Dharamveer Yadav said Rafi Khan has been booked under the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act and Indian Penal Code’s Sections 376 (rape) and 419 (cheating).
“The 35-year-old woman filed a complaint that Khan met her 15 years ago and introduced himself as Rakesh Kushwaha. He was a friend of the woman’s husband, whom she married 16 years ago. They got into a relationship. Khan promised to marry the woman. The woman’s husband left her. ...Khan (later)...refused (to marry her) and convinced her to live with her without getting married.”
Yadav said the woman has claimed she got to know about Khan’s real name and religion after their daughter was born. He added Khan allegedly sold the woman’s house and ended the relationship. Yadav said Khan would come to visit the daughter and the woman and wanted her to convert. “The woman ended the relationship with Khan, and he raped her many times,” Yadav said.
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Yadav said Khan insisted the woman changed her religion long back, but he does not have any paper to prove this. “We are investigating whether the woman changed her religion or not.”
Over 30 cases have been registered under the anti-conversation law that came into force on January 9. The law prohibits conversion by “misrepresentation, allurement, use of threat or force, undue influence, coercion, marriage or any fraudulent means”. Four petitions are pending against the law in the high court.
Activists have questioned the law and alleged it has been enacted in Bharatiya Janata Party ruled states such as Madhya Pradesh to harass minorities. “In this case, how it possible that the accused has started harassing the woman to change the religion now. In many cases, women are using the law to end inter-religious relationships,” said LS Hardenia, who has filed a petition against the law.
