A man was arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki district for marrying a woman who pretended to be a Hindu and then pressuring her to convert. The police took this action on the directions of the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Sudha Singh. The court ordered registration of a case in the matter following a complaint filed by the 32-year-old woman.
A police officer said the accused was named Mohammad Azam Zaidi. He was a real estate agent by profession. The victim claimed that Azam married her in 2016 and told her his name was Aman. After that, when she returned to her in-laws’ house, she came to know the truth about her husband. When she protested, she was threatened and sexually harassed.
Following the woman’s complaint, CJM Sudha Singh directed the Kotwali police to take action. Police registered a case against Mohammad Azam Zaidi under IPC sections 498A (cruelness to wife), 323 (causing hurt), 504 (insult), 506 (intimidation) and 376 (rape) and the Protection of Rights of Muslim Women on Marriage Act and the UP Unlawful Activities Prevention) Act. A case has been registered under the Religious Conversion Act.
Additional South Police Commissioner Akhilesh Narayan Singh said that based on the court’s instructions, the police arrested the accused on Sunday after registering a case with the relevant departments. He said that the accused assaulted the victim several times. In 2017, the victim also gave birth to a daughter. After this, the victim began to be pressured to convert to Islam.
Kotwali Inspector-in-charge Ajay Kumar Tripathi said that in this case, the accused was arrested within 24 hours of filing the case. The investigation will be completed soon and the charge sheet will be submitted to the court. Let us tell you that the old law to prevent “love jihad” in UP has been made stricter. The new law provides for a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Fines have also been doubled in the new law. Under the Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religious Beliefs (Amendment) Bill 2024, which tightens the old law, anyone who changes their religion by means of intimidation, inducement, marriage or promise of marriage will be punished. It is considered a serious crime.
Under current law, anyone can file a case along with the victim’s parents, siblings. Anyone who intimidates or threatens anyone for the purpose of converting their religion, makes false promises of marriage to a woman, traffics in minors, women or persons or attacks their property can be sentenced to 20 years in prison if convicted. Maybe.
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