“The Maharashtra government is mulling laws on love jihad,” Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday adding the state Police will be asked to create a standard operating procedure (SOP) to handle cases of women duped into inter-religious marriage with fake identities.
During a discussion in the state legislative assembly on Hindu girls allegedly being lured into marriage outside their religion by presenting fake identities in Aurangabad district, Fadnavis who also hold the Home portfolio announced that police will be directed to formulate a SOP for handling such cases.
Every police station will be sensitised on this issue, and officials who fail to take appropriate action will face consequences
Fadnavis said he will direct the state Director General of Police (DGP) to create the SOP. He clarified that “If an adult woman marries outside her religion, the law cannot do anything unless she has been duped by the man using a different identity.”
Additionally, cases of women allegedly being “drugged” and coerced into marriage through the use of fake identities will be thoroughly investigated, and the rescued women will receive psychological treatment as needed.
The statement came nearly a year after he mentioned that the Maharashtra government would study the laws on “love jihad” framed by other states and take an appropriate decision. In December 2022, the BJP leader had highlighted the legislative demand for a stringent law against the alleged practice, referencing the Shraddha Walkar case as an example where instances of “love jihad” were being observed on a large scale in the state.
“We have assured (the House) that different states have laws on love jihad and we will study them. Based on it, our government will take an appropriate decision so that no woman or girl suffers by any conspiracy,” Fadnavis had said.
“Love jihad” is a term frequently employed by right-wing activists, who claim that it involves Muslim men attempting to lure Hindu women into religious conversion through marriage.
Earlier in June this year, Fadnavis again highlighted the “concerns” and said that during the investigation into missing person complaints in the state, a significant number of “love jihad” cases have been detected.” In some instances, false promises or deceptive identities were used, even involving married individuals attempting to mislead women, he added.
“Cases termed as love jihad have also come forward in large numbers,” he said.
“I had stated earlier that we are mulling to introduce a law on it (love jihad). We are studying various existing laws in this connection,” Fadnavis had said.
Fadnavis has clarified that the state government is not against inter-faith marriages. However, he pointed out that over time, they have observed a pattern that raises concerns about a deliberate scheme or conspiracy. In certain districts, these marriages are occurring at a significant scale, he noted.
(With inputs from PTI)
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