A state law in Uttar Pradesh was coined to accuse Muslim men of converting Hindu women to Islam through marriage. Critics have slammed the "love jihad" law as Islamophobic.
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Police in India's Uttar Pradesh state have arrested a Muslim man for allegedly trying to convert a Hindu woman to Islam. It is the first under the state's new anti-conversion law targeting "love jihad."
Bareilly district police confirmed the arrest on Twitter, after the man was "accused of pressuring conversion, arrested and sent to jail."
The woman's father first filed a complaint, accusing the 21-year-old Muslim man of pressuring his daughter to convert and threatening her life if she didn't. The woman was allegedly in a relationship with the man but was married to someone else earlier this year.
The man was sentenced to 14 days in judicial custody, according to online newspaper ThePrint.He also claimed to have no connection to the Hindu woman. "I have no link with the woman, she got married a year back. I am innocent," he said.
In the father's complaint, he alleged that the man had known his daughter since they were students, and had been pressuring her to convert. A police officer told ThePrint that the two had planned to elope in October of last year, but were unable to do so.
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Other states considering similar laws
Alleged offenders risk a jail term of up to 10 years, while offenses committed under the law are non-bailable. At least four other states are drafting laws against "love jihad," according to The Quint. The law draws on a conspiracy theory that a large number of Muslim men are feigning love for the purpose of converting women to Islam.
The home minister of Madhya Pradesh state, just south of Delhi, earlier said that the state will consider marriages taking place out of fraud or by "tempting someone" null and void. Other states considering "Love Jihad" laws include Haryana, Karnataka and Assam.
Tensions run high between the Hindu majority and Muslim minority in India and have sparked several riots and violent conflicts between the two groups. Earlier this year in Delhi, dozens died when protests and clashes broke out between Hindus and Muslims over a controversial citizenship law.
The law, introduced by the government led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), offers amnesty to non-Muslim illegal immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Critics said the bill was part of a BJP effort to marginalize Muslim citizens.
India's new citizenship law ignites religious tensions
Dozens of people have been killed as a result of protests against India's controversial Citizenship Amendment Act. Critics say the law is aimed at marginalizing Muslims and goes against India's secular constitution.
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Shutdown in parts of India
The Indian government suspended internet services and tightened security on Friday in several parts of the country, including the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The government is expecting another wave of violent protests against the controversial new Citizenship Amendment Act, which was enacted on December 11.
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Defending India's secular constitution
The new law gives Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Christian and Parsi immigrants from Muslim-majority Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan a path toward fast-track citizenship. Critics say the law discriminates against Muslims and that the award of citizenship based on religion violates India's secular constitution.
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Fears of citizenship registration
The Indian government is also preparing plans for a National Register of Citizens (NRC), in what it says is an attempt to identify and expel undocumented illegal immigrants. If a nationwide NRC is implemented, critics fear that residents unable to prove citizenship would be turned stateless. A similar exercise in Assam state has already excluded nearly 2 million residents from the list.
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Outcry of intellectuals
Several liberal-minded intellectuals such as the well-known writer Arundhati Roy have sharply criticized the new law and the government's plan to create a nationwide citizenship registration. Conservative politicians such as Subramanian Swamy, a former minister of commerce, has called for Roy to be arrested and charged with sedition.
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Students against the new law
Students from several universities across the country have taken to the streets to protest against the new measures. Several student organizations are at the forefront of the protests. They are making use of social media to wage a parallel battle online and teach people how to organize demonstrations.
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Police cracking down on protesters
Indian authorities have deployed thousands of riot police to control the protests. At least 25 people have so far died in two weeks of at times violent demonstrations. India's army chief has also criticized the role of students in the protests.
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Hindu nationalists adamant
Prime minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has remained adamant throughout the protests. They say that people are misguided and don't understand the real meaning of the law. The BJP blames the opposition Congress Party for creating confusion and igniting fear.
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Supporters of new citizenship act
The Rashitrya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is a right-wing, Hindu-nationalist paramilitary volunteer organization. Members of the group, which is the parent organization of the BJP, were seen parading on the outskirts of Hyderabad in support of the new law.
