Ten Indian Men Arrested On Accused Of Inviting Women To Convert Religions

Photo illustration (Source: Antara)

JAKARTA - Police in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India have arrested ten men who are accused of forcing women to convert after marriage. The ten people were charged with anti-conversion regulations known as the "Love Jihad" law.

Four senior police officers said the ten men had been detained since last week from different areas of Uttar Pradesh, based on complaints filed by parents who suspect their daughter was kidnapped by a Muslim man.

"We are using this new law only to arrest men who have indeed been proven clear in the case of forced conversion," said one police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Under this regulation, men and women of different religions must provide a certificate to a district judge two months before they get married, and they will be granted permission if there is no objection.

Last month, Uttar Pradesh became the first region in India to pass a law against the practice of deceptive conversion, which carries the threat of prison terms for anyone who forces another to convert or is trapped by marriage.

The new regulation does not specifically mention one particular religion. But critics call it Islamophobic because it is only intended to prevent "Love Jihad".

The term "Love Jihad" is described by hardline Hindu groups as a conspiracy to get innocent Hindu women to convert to Islam on false promises of love and marriage.

The authorities of Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, say that the law will help prevent cunning conversions and is aimed at protecting young women.

However, both the federal and state governments are controlled by officials from the Hindu nationalist party, Bharatiya Janata.

At least four other states in India, namely Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka and Assam, have also stated that they are planning to implement the law against forced conversion.