Haryana Government plans law to tackle Love Jihad, from Yogi Adityanath's cue

As a similar response to Uttar Pradesh Government's decision to curb 'Love Jihad' in the state, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has said to bring a new law for curbing 'Love Jihad' in Haryana. Khattar in a press meeting said that the Government is looking for constitutional legality' and 'legal provisions' to prevent the spread of forceful religious conversion and marriage.

CM was referring to the murder of a 21-year-old girl from Faridabad who was harassed and shot dead by two men named Tauseef and Rehan outside her college in Ballabhgarh. After the death of the girl, her family members came forward to claim that the murder is related to love jihad and said that the family had filed a complaint in 2018 against the accused.

Speaking to the media, Manohar Lal Khattar said: "Even the central government is planning to make strict laws against love jihad. Since the Ballabhgarh case is being linked with "love jihad", the centre, as well as the state government, is looking into it, and considering legal provisions so the guilty cannot escape and no innocent person is punished".

Soon after that Yogi Adityanath declared to bring law to curb Love Jihad in UP, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij tweeted from his official Twitter account stating: "Haryana government will soon implement strict law against Love Jihad".

The state was considering bringing in legislation to prevent it. Minister had already announced a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the love jihad angle in Haryana.

Love Jihad is a conspiracy theory which alleges that Muslim men target non-Muslim women for conversion to Islam. The term is mainly said to be used by right wing groups to target Muslim man and Hindu woman relationships.

"Crimes against women in the name of religion need to be stopped. Not only in Nikitha Tomar's case, but there are also many incidents happening in Haryana continuously. Women are getting attacked for rejecting love. Is this the way to love someone? This is very much political and we need strict laws against it. We need not see this as a communal thing. We don't have the intention to misinterpret the entire Muslims. But the crimes against women in the name of religious ideology need to be prevented". Ankit, a student activist from Haryana, shared his opinion with Madhyamam.

"The increasing incidents of 'love jihad' have compelled us to make a law. It is a must to stop this serious crime. Innocent girls are being exploited in the name of marriage. They are being converted," Haryana Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta told in a press meet.

Discussions over the law are going on in Haryana, in the context of Haryana Assembly Session which will begin on November 5 this year.