E-Paper
BJP legislator seeks stricter punishment for ‘love jihad’ cases
BJP legislator Rajeshwar Singh on Thursday urged Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath to amend the state laws dealing with heinous crimes and proposed stricter punishment for “love jihad”
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Rajeshwar Singh on Thursday urged Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath to amend the state laws dealing with heinous crimes and proposed stricter punishment for “love jihad” in view of the gruesome killing of a woman by her inter-faith partner in Delhi recently.
In a six-page letter to the CM, Singh sought amendment to the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, to enable speedy justice in such cases. He said there is a need to broaden the definition of allurement in cases of “love jihad” and it must include marriage, or a promise of marriage or conjugal relationship or live-in relationship.
Love jihad is a term used by right-wing activists to allege a concerted effort by Muslim men to convert Hindu women to Islam through marriage, though the courts and the Union government do not officially recognise the term.
A copy of the BJP MLA’s letter has also been marked to Union law minister Kiren Rijiju.
“The bone-chilling incident of a man murdering and then chopping the body of a woman into 35 pieces is reminiscent of ‘love jihad’ crimes reported recently from across the nation,” read the letter. “A series of similar events has led to a scenario of perpetual fear, profound distress bordering on a sense of alarm in the community and is, therefore, definitely a cause of concern for all legislators across the country.”
Singh, who represents Lucknow’s Sarojini Nagar in the assembly, further said in his letter: “Such hate crimes do not deserve to be treated as regular criminal acts, necessitating a fast-track approach to investigations, charge-sheet and trial, within the framework of our rule of law, thereby ensuring that the trust reposed by the common man on our criminal justice system is not impacted adversely.”
He also mentioned that he had engaged with different sections of society and compiled their thoughts for the chief minister’s consideration.
The MLA was referring to the killing of 27-year-old Shraddha Vikas Walkar allegedly by her partner Aaftab Amin Poonawala (28) in Delhi’s Mehrauli area in May this year. Poonawala had allegedly strangled Walkar and hacked her corpse into 35 pieces and dumped them in forested areas over several days, according to police.
“In order to ensure that such offences are not repeated in the future, it is necessary that we adopt a time-bound schedule for investigations and trial such that the investigation is completed within 60 days of the registration of the offence and the trial within 60 days thereafter,” said the MLA, a former IPS officer.
Singh also praised the Yogi Adityanath government for enacting the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, but added its scope needs to be expanded to address heinous offences. He also mentioned some laws, which were amended in the past in the wake of an increase in specific kinds of crime.
