Arguably for the first time in the history of the judiciary, the institution has recognized that the conversion of the people of the majority religion makes a country weak. The Bench of Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav denied bail to a person who forced a woman to convert to Islam.
The person was booked by the Uttar Pradesh Police under Section 366, 368, 120-B of IPC for forcing a woman to convert to Islam, and the bench of Allahabad High Court refused to grant him bail. Javed alias Jabid Ansari of Etah, with the help of his two brothers-in-law, had abducted the woman to marry her and was forcing her to convert to Islam.
“Everyone has a right to freedom under our Indian Constitution. Sometimes it also happens that people do not convert to another religion out of fear or greed, but due to humiliation, as they believe that they will get respect in other religions. There is no harm in this, and in the Indian Constitution, all citizens have the right to live life with dignity. When a person does not get respect in his/her own house and he/she is neglected, then he/she leaves the house,” said the bench in judgment.
“As the history of the past tells that when we (the people of India) were divided, the country was invaded and we became slaves. Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, is a good example of this, who suffered a lot of humiliation in his early life and that is why he converted his religion,” it added.
Previously the Uttar Pradesh government brought anti-conversion law to deal with the rising number of forced conversions by the community in which conservative elements train their people for Love jihad.
A few weeks ago, a massive Islamic conversion racket was busted in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, under the aegis of which over 1,500 people were converted to Islam. Noida Police has been receiving complaints regarding a similar mass-conversion racket for quite some time now, and finally, on June 21, UP ATS arrested two men identified as Umar Gautam and Mufti Qazi Jehangir involved in illegal religious conversions. The Islamic conversion racket run by them – with the support of Pakistan’s ISI primarily targeted the economically weaker sections of society, women, children, and the disabled.
The racketeers targeted deaf and mute children and illegally converted them to Islam. For others, the gang lured people into Islam using money, jobs, and marriages. Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said that Umar Gautam, who is himself a convert to Islam from Hinduism, boasted to the police of having converted at least 1,000 people to Islam, luring them with marriage, money and jobs.
The criminal Islamic fanatic was quoted as saying, “I converted at least 1,000 non-Muslims to Islam, marrying them all to Muslims.” He also confessed to having converted over 1,500 children at school for the deaf and mute in Noida on the pretext of employment and money.
Uttar Pradesh has been a prime victim of love jihad, and forced conversion which is why Yogi Adityanath had sounded the death knell on the Islamist practice recently and vowed the strictest possible action against culprits of the same. “Allahabad High Court said religious conversion isn’t necessary for marriage. Govt will also work to curb ‘love-jihad’, we’ll make a law…I warn those who conceal identity and play with our sisters’ respect. If you don’t mend your ways your ‘Ram naam satya’ (final Hindu funeral chant) journey will begin,” Yogi had said. The UP-Chief Minister further added, “The posters of those involved in love jihad will be put on all road crossings.”
A few years ago, love jihad and forced conversion were not even being recognized by the intelligentsia of the country, and today even the judiciary agrees that it is a danger to the integrity of the country, and this became possible thanks to leaders like Yogi Adityanath, and Himanta Biswa Sarma.