Mumbai, Feb 14 Amid demand from elected representatives and various organisations, the Maharashtra government on Friday formed a seven member committee headed by the state director general of police to study the legal provisions to curb the 'love jihad' (euphemism for interfaith relationships) and forced conversion or conversion by cheating.
The committee is expected to make recommendation also about enacting a legislation in the state on the lines of other states including Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
The committee consists of secretaries of departments of women and child development, minority development, law and judiciary, social justice and special assistance and home.
The government resolution signed by Home Department deputy secretary Hemant Mahajan was issued on Friday.
“Elected representatives (sitting and former), various organisations and citizens had made representations to the state government seeking enactment of legislation to curb Love Jihad and forced conversions in the state. Some of the states have already enacted laws. A special committee has been established to study the present situation and suggest measures to curb Love Jihad, forced conversions and conversions done through cheating,” reads the government resolution.
The committee has been mandated to suggest how the state can enact its own law in this regard.
The state government’s move is important as the chorus has been growing especially from BJP legislators and various organisations demanding a strict law against Love Jihad and forced conversions.
BJP legislator Nitesh Rane has been at the forefront to pursue his demand since December 2022 making a strong pitch for law against the love jihad and forced conversions.
“There are lots of morchas being carried out by organizations to demand strict law against love jihad. With women delegation, we have made a request to the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Fadvanis to make a law and also an anti-conversion law on the lines of Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh,” he said.
Former deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had said in December 2022 that the state government will study laws made in different states against forcible conversions.
"We have not taken any decision yet, but we will study the laws made by different states in this regard," he said.
Fadnavis had earlier said that the state government was contemplating introducing a law to curb ‘Love Jihad’ adding before making any decisions the government plans to study similar legislations in other states.
Recently, BJP minister Nitesh Rane on February 4 speaking at the Sakal Hindu Samaj rally declared that the state government, driven by a Hindutva ideology, would not tolerate “love jihad, land jihad, and cow slaughter.”
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