Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday directed senior officials of the state Home Department to prepare a plan to stop incidents of “love jihad”, following several such cases reported from different parts of the state, according to senior officials.
According to officials, the direction came on the back of multiple incidents reported from Kanpur, Meerut, and a recent one in Lakhimpur Kheri, where the police claim there is evidence that the women were being forced to convert and marry.
What Is “Love Jihad” ?
Love jihad is a terminology used by Hindutva groups to describe inter-religious marriages, which they allege involves conversion of the woman – either by force or guile – to marry a Muslim man.
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Cases Are Increasing Rapidly , Police Department Said
According to officials, the direction came on the back of multiple incidents reported from Kanpur, Meerut, and a recent one in Lakhimpur Kheri, where the police claim there is evidence that the women were being forced to convert and marry.
What Does Mrityunjay Kumar, Media Adviser Said To Adityanath?
He Said,There are increasing cases of love jihad being reported from different parts of the state. Thus the Chief Minister instructed senior Home Department officials to prepare a plan to stop such incidents and officials have been told to prepare a strategy and see whether a new law is required.
Recent Cases
The recent incident being cited by the police took place in a village in Lakhimpur Kheri district earlier this week, where a teenage girl was found raped and murdered. The police later caught one Dilshad, who they say confessed to raping the girl and later slitting her throat following a heated discussion. Call records of the victim’s cellphone showed she was in touch with Dilshad, according to the police. Adityanath has directed invoking NSA, if required, in the Lakhimpur Kheri case.