'Love jihad' gets foreign funding, way to change India’s population: UP court

New Delhi: A judge in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly said that some groups force religious conversions by luring Hindu women into relationships, threatening India’s unity and security, PTI has reported.

Uttar Pradesh's Additional District Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar linked what he said ‘love jihad’ to foreign funding, alongside saying that it is being used as a way to change India’s population.

Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar made the claims while handing life in jail to a Muslim man for raping and threatening a woman after lying about his identity.

Right wing groups in the country use ‘Love Jihad’ to refer to what they claim conspiracy involving Muslim men to lure Hindu women, and women from other religions, to marry and convert to Islam.

Judge Diwakar claimed that illegal conversions are carried out using psychological pressure and promise of marriage.

The judge also said that foreign sources funded these activities which required ‘urgent intervention’, India Today reported citing PTI.

It was part of a larger plan to create similar situations existing in Pakistan and Bangladesh, he said.

The court sentenced 25-year-old Mohammad Alim to life imprisonment for raping a 20-year-old, who established a relationship with her introducing himself as ‘Anand’.

The woman alleged that Alim, pretending to be a Hindu, held a fake wedding ceremony, before forcing her to have an abortion.

The victim reportedly underwent forced abortion and faced threats, according to the report.

Mohammad Alim’s 65-year-old father, Sabir, was also handed two years in prison for aiding his son’s crimes.

It is reported citing Senior police officer Manus Pareek that Alim was convicted under multiple sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.