Uttar Pradesh court hands life imprisonment to Muslim man in ‘Love jihad’ case

A fast-track court in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly convicted a 25-year-old Muslim man to life imprisonment in a case of alleged 'Love Jihad' where the accused raped a 20-year-old Hindu student and lied to her about his identity.

The court convicted Mohammad Alim to life imprisonment for the alleged crime while also sentencing Alim’s father, Sabir Ahmad, 65, to two years in prison for aiding Alim in committing the crime.

The conviction was based on the woman's statement which she had already retracted. The woman had withdrawn her statement on Sep 19 and claimed that her original testimony against the accused was made under pressure from “right-wing individuals” on her parents.

Alim had introduced himself as 'Anand Kumar' to the victim and established a relationship, which eventually led to forced abortion and threats. The woman had alleged that Alim had deceived her into believing he was a Hindu. After establishing a relationship and holding a fake marriage ceremony, he coerced her to undergo an abortion.

Fearing for her life, the woman eventually filed a police complaint. The case began in May 2023 when the woman filed a complaint with the police, alleging that the accused, Mohd Aalim, had posed as Anand Kumar when they first met at a coaching class in Bareilly in 2022.

They married in a temple on March 13, 2022, but the woman later claimed she had been deceived about his true identity.
Alim faced multiple charges, including rape under Section 376-(2)(n), criminal intimidation under Section 506, and voluntarily causing harm under Section 323 of the IPC.

His father, Mohd Sabir, was also charged with criminal intimidation under Section 504.

The woman testified against Alim on July 31 this year but later failed to appear in court. When a warrant was issued, she was brought to court on Sep 19, where she reversed her statement in support of Alim. However, the court dismissed her new testimony, citing concerns that she had been influenced by the accused.

Pronouncing the verdict on Sep 30 Additional District Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar noted "Love Jihad" was being used as a way to change India's population and linked illegal conversions to foreign funding.

"Love Jihad" is a term primarily used by some right-wing groups in India, referring to an alleged conspiracy where Muslim men target women from other religions, especially Hindus, to marry and convert them to Islam.

During the hearing of the case, the additional district Judge observed that some groups were luring Hindu women into relationships to force illegal religious conversions, which, according to him, threatened India's unity and security.

Judge Diwakar stressed that illegal conversions, conducted under psychological pressure and promises of marriage, are funded by foreign sources and need urgent intervention, according to PTI.

The judge also noted that it was part of a larger plan to create conditions similar to those in Pakistan and Bangladesh.