Maharashtra eyes law on ‘love jihad’, forms committee

The Maharashtra Government has set up a seven-member committee headed by the state DGP to study the legal aspects for a new law against forced conversions and cases of “love jihad”.

The committee includes secretaries of the women and child welfare, minority affairs, law and judiciary, social justice and special assistance departments, and deputy secretaries of the home department.

The committee will study the prevailing situation in the state and suggest steps to tackle the complaints of “love jihad” and forced conversions. It will also look at legal aspects and the laws framed in other states, such as UP, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. Accordingly, it will recommend legislation to prevent forced conversions and instances of “love jihad” — a term used by Right-wing activists and outfits to allege a conspiracy by Muslim men to convert Hindu women to Islam through marriage.