Uttar Pradesh Police registers first case under new law against ‘love jihad’

The case was registered by a resident of Bareilly who accused a Muslim man of trying to forcibly convert his daughter and also for threatening to kill her.

Representational image | Photo: Pixabay

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Police has registered its first case under the newly-implemented anti-conversion law, accusing a Muslim man of trying to forcibly convert a Hindu girl.

The case was registered Saturday under the Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Ordinance, 2020, which was cleared by Governor Anandiben Patel earlier that day.

Tikaram, a resident of the district Bareilly, filed the case at the Deorania Police Station against a youth named Uwaish Ahmed for allegedly threatening his daughter’s life and forcing her to convert to Islam.

The Deputy Inspector General of Bareilly zone Rajesh Pandey told ThePrint that the Deorania Police registered the case under Sections 3 and 5 of the new law, along with the Indian Penal Code sections related to threat to life.

Pandey added that the accused, Ahmed, who is a resident of Sharifnagar in Deorania, had absconded from his residence and efforts were on to apprehend him.

Accused verbally abused girl, threatened to kill her

In his complaint, Tikaram alleged that Ahmed was acquainted with his daughter since they were students and used to frequently talk to each other.

However, recently, the latter started pressurising her to convert to Islam. According to the girl’s father, Ahmed and his family were warned on many occasions but he did not relent.

Tikaram also accused Ahmed of verbally abusing his daughter and threatening to kill her.

Based on his complaint, the police has registered an FIR against Ahmed under the ordinance that applies to cases of alleged ‘love jihad’. According to the police, a team is currently trying to apprehend the accused.

The Uttar Pradesh government approved the ordinance, Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion Bill 2020, that seeks to bar “forceful religious conversions”, including for marriage, on 24 November

The ordinance provides for an imprisonment of 1-10 years and a fine of Rs 15,000 to Rs 50,000 under different categories.