With Haryana’s BJP-JJP authorities planning to convey a Bill on “love jihad” within the upcoming Budget Session of the Assembly, an RTI question has revealed that solely 4 circumstances had been registered over related expenses in six districts of the state over the past three years. Two circumstances had been cancelled by the police after a probe, whereas the accused within the third case was acquitted by the court docket. The fourth case is pending earlier than a court docket.
According to the knowledge procured from police officers by RTI activist P P Kapoor, no case of “love jihad” was reported from three districts Hisar, Faridabad and Yamunanagar over the previous three years. “A case lodged in Punhana police station of Mewat area on December 12, 2020 was cancelled after the police inquiry,” says Kapoor. Similarly, a case lodged in Ambala district has additionally been cancelled after a police probe whereas the accused in one other case in the identical district has been acquitted by the court docket. A case lodged in Samalkha police station of Panipat district on July 19, 2019 continues to be pending in court docket.
Kapoor stated he sought info from district officers of Nuh (Mewat), Yamunanagar, Faridabad, Hisar, Panipat and Ambala, which have a substantial Muslim inhabitants. He particularly sought info relating to complaints and FIRs associated to the circumstances of “love jihad”.
Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij had earlier introduced a strict legislation will likely be enacted to manage “love jihad” circumstances within the state. When contacted on Wednesday, Vij didn’t reply to a textual content message and a cellphone name.
Kapoor says he had sought the figures relating to circumstances of affection jihad from state police headquarters too three months again however is but to obtain a response.
On this, a senior police officer stated, “The police don’t have any data (at state level) on love jihad. Love jihad is a term coined by the politicians and media. So, the police, except in the cases involving atrocities on SC/STs, don’t maintain data according to the religion of the victim and the accused. For us, a crime is a crime. Since, love jihad is not defined in the IPC, how can we tell how many such cases took place.”