Kannauj: Complaint against man for forced conversion

The complaint was registered on Saturday after the woman’s father, accompanied by local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, approached the police. According to FIR, the complainant is a tailor in Kannaj’s Gursahaigunj and his daughter is a teacher in a local school.

The police in Kannauj have lodged a first information report (FIR) against a man under the recently promulgated Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Ordinance, 2020, for allegedly marrying a woman with the intention of having her convert her religion.

The UP ordinance 2020 contains a provision for declaring a marriage null and void if the marriage is solemnised with primary purpose of converting the religion of the bride. (AFP file photo. Representative image)

The complaint was registered on Saturday after the woman’s father, accompanied by local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, approached the police.

According to FIR, the complainant is a tailor in Kannaj’s Gursahaigunj and his daughter is a teacher in a local school.

She fell in love with the man, identified as Mohammad Taufeeq, who allegedly hid his identity and religion from her before their wedding .

He told her his name was Rahul Varma and married her on December 9, the complainant alleged.

The pictures of the wedding were posted on social media platforms where people identified him as Mohammad Taufeeq, a resident of Khade Dewar village.

“He deceived my daughter into marrying him. His act has hurt my religious sentiments and brought disrepute in the society,” the father stated in the FIR.

Kannauj’s superintendent of police Prashant Varma confirmed that a case had been registered and said the police were gathering evidence.

The station house officer of Gursahaigun,j Prem Singh Rajput, said raids were being conducted to arrest the man.

The UP ordinance 2020 contains a provision for declaring a marriage null and void if the marriage is solemnised with primary purpose of converting the religion of the bride.

If someone is found guilty of violating the provision, the ordinance makes it punishable with a minimum imprisonment of one year to a maximum five years and a penalty that’s not less than Rs 15,000.

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