Haryana sets up panel for law on 'love jihad'

Days after Uttar Pradesh approved the ordinance of 'love jihad', the Haryana government has formed a three-member drafting committee to frame law on "love jihad" in the state.

New Delhi:Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on Thursday announced that a three-member drafting committee has been formed to frame law on "love jihad" in the state.

Vij said that the committee comprising T L Satyaprakash (IAS) Secretary Home, ADGP Navdeep Sing Virk (IPS) and Additional Advocate General Deepak Manchanda will also study the love jihad law of other states.

"A three-member Drafting Committee formed to frame law on "love jihad" in Haryana comprising T L Satyaprakash IAS Secretary Home, Navdeep Sing Virk IPS ADGP and Deepak Manchanda Additional Advocate General Haryana Committee will study the "love jihad" law formed in other states also," Vij tweeted.

The issue of "love jihad" has been on the boil for the past few weeks after the death of a 21-year-old college student, who was shot point-blank outside her college allegedly by a stalker and his friend in Ballabgarh in October. Uttar Pradesh Home Department recently sent a proposal to the state's law department to form strict legislation against "love jihad".

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had announced that his government will bring a strict law to curb "love jihad" and forcible religious conversion, citing an Allahabad High Court's order.

Earlier, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra had said that the state government will bring a bill against "love jihad" in the next Assembly session that will have the provision of five years of rigorous imprisonment. "One word "love Jihad" is doing rounds. We are making preparations to introduce the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Bill, 2020 in Assembly.

It will have provision for five years of rigorous imprisonment against those involved in forceful religious conversion and marriage by lure or fraud," Mishra told reporters here.

"We are also proposing that such crimes be declared a cognisable and non-bailable offence. There will be provision to declare marriages taking place forcefully, out of fraud or by tempting someone, for religious conversion, null and void," he said.

The Union Home Ministry on February 4 this year had clarified that the term 'love jihad' is not defined under the existing laws and no such case has been reported so far.

No such case has been reported by any of the central agencies yet.

ANI Report