Uttar Pradesh registers first case under new forcible religious conversion law

The first case under the forcible religious conversion law was registered, a day after the Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel gave her assent to the ordinance.

New Delhi: A day after Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel gave her assent to the forcible religious conversion ordinance, the first case under the new law has been registered.  

The complaint has been filed by a father of a young woman based in Bareilly district. The case was registered at the Devarniyan police station in Bareilly on Saturday, officials told PTI.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said a case was registered by the girl's father Tikaram accusing a man -- Uvaish Ahmed resident of the same village, of trying to convert his daughter through "allurement".

A case has been registered against Uvaish Ahmed under the IPC and the new Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020.

Four police teams have been formed to arrest the accused.

The complaint states that Tikaram's daughter and Ahmed studied together in class 12. The accused started pressuring the girl to undergo religious conversion and marry him. The accused threatened to kidnap his daughter, Tikaram alleged.

Further, the complaint states even after the girl was married, the accused continued to harass her family members.

Ahmed allegedly threatened her family, and said the woman will have to undergo religious conversion and marry him, according to the complaint.

On Saturday, the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020 has been promulgated with the approval of the Governor.

In recent weeks, BJP-run states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh have revealed plans to enact laws to counter alleged attempts to convert Hindu women to Islam in the guise of marriage, which party leaders often refer to as 'love jihad'.