A Muslim man was booked under Uttar Pradesh’s anti-conversion law in Meerut after his fiancée’s uncle filed a police complaint objecting to their interfaith wedding, The Times of India reported on Wednesday.
The wedding ceremony of Akanksha Gautam, who is a Buddhist, and Shahvez Rana was to be held on Friday.
Akanksha Gautam’s uncle, Premchand Gautam, filed a complaint at the city’s Ganga Nagar police station, saying that Rana’s name was mentioned as “Sahil” in the wedding card distributed by the woman’s family.
Some members of Hindutva organisations had accompanied him to the police station. They alleged that it was a case of “love jihad”, Dainik Bhaskar reported.
Love jihad is a Hindutva conspiracy theory that Muslim men trick Hindu women into romantic relationships with the aim of converting them to Islam. The Union home ministry has told Parliament that Indian law has no provision defining such a term.
In his complaint to the police, Premchand Gautam said that Akanksha Gautam was “misled by Sahil”.
“He deceived her with the intention of grabbing property and conspired to marry her after manipulating and brainwashing her,” The Times of India quoted Premchand Gautam as having said in his complaint. “I fear for my niece’s safety.”
Meerut Superintendent of Police (Rural) Abhijeet Kumar told The Times of India that a first information report has been registered in the matter.
Rana has been booked under Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita sections pertaining to criminal intimidation, along with provisions of the Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act.
The controversy began after copies of the wedding card were shared on social media. The card from the bride’s side mentioned that the groom was named Sahil, while the card printed by the groom’s family said his name was Shahwaz Rana, according to Dainik Bhaskar.
The woman’s mother, Lata Rani, explained that this was because she had given Rana the nickname “Sahil”, which was printed on the card.
“We know the boy’s entire family,” the mother told Dainik Bhaskar. “There is no case of love jihad. My brother-in-law’s allegations are baseless.”
Akanksha Gautam accused her uncle of interfering in the matter because he wants to usurp her family’s property.
“Ever since my father’s death three years ago, he has been eyeing our property,” The Times of India quoted her as saying. “He knew that I was in a relationship with Sahil for the past six years. His concerns for me are fake and full of vested interest.”
She also clarified that she is a Buddhist and that she was marrying Shahvaz Rana of her own free will.
A Hindutva organisation, called the Hindu Suraksha Sangathan, has pressured the owner of the resort where the wedding was due to take place to cancel the event, UP Tak reported.
Sachin Sirohi, the president of the organisation, threatened that he would oppose the wedding irrespective of where it would be held, Bharat Samachar reported.
In response, the bride told the news outlet that Sirohi had no right to interfere in her wedding.
She also refuted the allegations of “love jihad” by saying: “Love-jihad will only happen as long as it’s a Hindu-Muslim matter. I’m not even a Hindu, I’m a Buddhist. I follow Buddhism. I don’t even believe in goddess worship.”
Her mother said that Rana and Akanksha Gautam’s wedding is “within the framework of the Indian Constitution”, The Times of India reported.
“I fully stand by my daughter and Shavez,” the newspaper quoted Rani as saying. “They will get married come what may. And if need be, we will approach the high court.”
On February 2, the Supreme Court sought responses from the Centre, and the governments of Uttar Pradesh and 11 other states on a petition contending that anti-conversion laws in these states criminalise voluntary and conscience-based change of faith.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant issued had notice to the Union law ministry, and to the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Rajasthan.
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