Bengaluru: The women’s front of a fringe Right-wing group has demanded that the Basavaraj Bommai-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government set up an Uttar Pradesh-like dedicated police squad to contain the “growing instances” of “love jihad” in poll-bound Karnataka.
Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) women’s wing Durga Sena wants the issue to be discussed in the winter session of the Karnataka assembly that begins 19 December in Belagavi. Karnataka is likely to vote April-May next year.
“We want them to create a special police squad, protect Hindu girls from people who introduce young girls to Muslim boys, befriend them and convert them,” said Sena’s Bhavya Gowda.
“Love Jihad” is the phrase used by the Right-wing to describe interfaith relationships with the alleged aim to convert Hindu women.
Though the southern state has its own ‘anti-conversion law’ (The Karnataka Right to Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act, 2022), Right-wing groups remain adamant to get a separate bill to deal with cases of “love jihad”. There have been also demands that the need for Halal certification be done away with in the southern state.
Other BJP-ruled states like Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, have either introduced similar laws aimed at “protecting” young Hindu women or are discussing it.
The Durga Sena alleged there have been “thousands of cases” of “love jihad” even as there is little evidence to back its claims.
“Both the HJS and Durga Sena have given memorandums asking for a UP-like squad to check love jihad. I will discuss with the chief minister about claims that over 2,500 such cases have been reported… if need be, will bring it up in the (winter) session as well,” BJP national general secretary C.T. Ravi said.
Under the Karnataka anti-conversion law, there are heavy penalties and jail terms for anyone converting by “force, allurement or fraud”. The law says no one should be converted by another “by use or practice of misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means or by any of these means or by promise of marriage, nor shall any person abet or conspire such conversion”.
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