Demand for Love Jihad law intensifies, Hindu organisation launches campaign in the state

The Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, a right wing organisation, on Wednesday urged the Maharashtra government to introduce a stringent law against what it describes as love jihad during the winter session of the state legislature in Nagpur. The term is used by right wing groups to allege that Muslim men target Hindu women for marriage with the intent of religious conversion.

The call comes after a coordinated campaign across the state that saw the involvement of more than 160 Hindu organisations from 20 districts. The Samiti stated that the participants pressed the government to pass a strict law to curb alleged forced conversions linked to marriage.
Memorandums Submitted Across Districts

Sunil Ghanvat, the Samiti’s state organiser for Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, said in a statement that more than 1,600 activists and citizens took part in rallies, public meetings and memorandum drives across major districts. These included Mumbai, Jalgaon, Dhule, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Ahilyanagar, Akola, Amravati, Chandrapur, Nagpur, Satara, Pune, Solapur, Nashik, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg.Memorandums were submitted to district collectors, taluka administrations, elected representatives, the Governor, the Chief Minister and the home department, urging the state to act.Call for Law Mirroring Other States

The Samiti noted that states such as Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Uttarakhand have already enacted laws aimed at curbing forced conversions. It argued that Maharashtra should introduce similar legislation with provisions for life imprisonment and registration of non-bailable offences.

Demand for Anti Land Grabbing Law

Alongside the push for a love jihad law, the organisations also raised the demand for an anti land grabbing law, stating that such measures would strengthen legal safeguards in the state.