Guj assessing laws to curb forced conversions: Dy CM

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat government is examining laws enacted by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh to curb “forced religious conversions by marriage”, said Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel on Friday.

Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, both ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have brought religious freedom laws to stop forcible conversion through marriage or by any other fraudulent means.

“Some people indulge in trapping or alluring or cheating Hindu girls to marry them. But we have seen that most of the time, such girls regret taking this step as they and their families are never happy in such situations. “This also creates division in the society,” Patel said in reply to a question.

Patel was speaking to reporters after attending an event organised by the VHP here to start the drive for raising donations for the upcoming Ram temple in Ayodhya.

UP’s Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020, was notified on November 28 last year, and prescribes a jail term up to 10 years and fine up to ₹25,000 for conversion under marriage, fraud, coercion or enticement. The law came into force days after chief minister Yogi Adityanath promised to fight against “love jihad”, a term used by some radical groups to describe relationships between Muslim men and Hindu women. The new law has been criticised by many activists and experts as targeting Muslim men and violating the fundamental rights of equality, freedom of religion and life and liberty. The MP’s ordinance to regulate religious conversion is called the Madhya Pradesh Dharmik Swatantrata (Freedom of Religion) Ordinance, 2020. It will replace the 1968 Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act and prohibit conversion and attempted conversion through

“misrepresentation, allurement, threat, force, undue influence, coercion, marriage and any fraudulent means.”

The ordinance prescribes punishment for two to 10 years in jail and a minimum fine of ₹50,000 for conversion of women, minors, and women from scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. “Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh governments have formed laws to stop this kind of activities so that there is no tension between different communities,” he said. “The Gujarat government has also received many such representations from different organisations and people,” the Deputy Chief Minister said. “We are studying the effectiveness, longterm effects and legal standing of the laws made by UP and MP. The Gujarat government will take a decision at an appropriate time,” he said. Patel said the fund collection drive will connect every Hindu with the construction of the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya.