After Uttar Pradesh, Haryana now considers law against ‘forced inter-religious marriages’

A day after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi said the state government will bring a strict law to curb incidents of “love jihad”, Haryana home minister Anil Vij

A day after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi said the state government will bring a strict law to curb incidents of “love jihad”, Haryana home minister Anil Vij said the same will be done in Haryana as well.

Haryana home minister Anil Vij on Sunday tweeted a law against ‘love jihad’ is being considered by the state government

“A law against love jihad is being considered in Haryana,” Vij tweeted in Hindi on Sunday.

“The Allahabad high court has said that for marriages, changing religion isn’t necessary. The government too has decided to check ‘love jihad’ with all its might. An effective law would be made that would ensure that those who cheat gullible women by hiding their identity would be effectively dealt with,” the CM said.

“Love Jihad” is a term used by right-wing workers to describe interfaith relationships between a Muslim man and a Hindu woman. In February this year, the government told Parliament that there was no definition of the term and no such cases were reported by agencies.

Last week, a 21-year-old college student, Nikita, was shot dead in Haryana’s Ballabhgarh by a man. The victim’s family has alleged that the man was pressuring her to convert to Islam in order to marry him. Some Hindu outfits have alleged that the woman’s murder is a case of “love jihad”.

Last year, the Uttar Pradesh State Law Commission submitted a report to Adityanath, suggesting “a new law to check forcible religious conversions.”

(With Agency Inputs)