Chandigarh: Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij Friday told the Vidhan Sabha that the state government is considering a law against ‘love jihad’ and has sought information from Himachal Pradesh, which had passed a bill on the issue.
The Himachal Pradesh assembly had last year passed a bill against conversion by force, inducement or through marriages solemnised for the ‘sole purpose’ of adopting a new religion.
“We are mulling to bring a law against love jihad in Haryana,” Vij said replying to a calling attention notice drawing attention towards the Ballabhgarh’s Nikita Tomar murder case.
The home minister said a challan in the case will be filed soon and it will be listed before a fast track court.
“We will have to see whether it (crime) was done under any conspiracy or organised crime,” he said.
“Anyone can marry anyone, anyone can fall in love with anyone. But if there is a conspiracy of changing religion by trapping someone in love, then it is very important to stop that conspiracy. We will take whatever steps required for it,” he said.
If anyone is instigated for changing religion, it will not be tolerated, he said, claiming that many case of “love jihad” are surfacing.
“We have to think about them seriously. I have asked for data on the change of religion after marriage and whether they were living peacefully, since the formation of Haryana,” said the minister.
Vij told the House that the state government is providing all possible help to the victim’s family.
Security has been provided to the victim’s family. Along with this, a gun licence has been given on the demand of the family and legal assistance is also being provided to them, he added.
He said a case of kidnapping was registered against the accused– Tousif and Rehan–by the Nikita’s family in 2018, which was later withdrawn.
The entire incident, including the abduction case, will be investigated by the government, the home minister added.
Vij further said he has asked police to investigate who pressured the victim’s family to withdraw the kidnapping case.
The accused–Tousif–belonged to some “powerful political family” and he was held within 12 hours of committing the crime, Vij said, adding that the murder has shaken the whole country.
Later, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar told reporters that the state government will bring a proposal against “love jihad”, referred to an alleged campaign of Muslims forcing Hindu girls to convert in the guise of love, in the next cabinet meeting.
The CM said the government has taken a strong note of the Ballabhgarh incident and decided to bring a strong legislation on the pattern of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Earlier, INLD MLA Abhay Singh Chautala sought adequate steps to protect lives of women.
He demanded that police security should be provided outside educational institutions having girl students to stop such incidents.
Vij in the House said there has been a decrease in crime against women in Haryana.
According to a national report published by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), titled “Crime in India – 2019”, there has been a nationwide increase of 7.3 per cent in crime against women in 2019 as compared with 2018, he added.
In comparison with the national increase, Haryana recorded an increase of only 2.49 per cent cases in 2019 as compared with 2018, he said.
PTI