A young man from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for trying to get married by changing his religion. At the same time, the young man was also fined 30,000 rupees. This is the first time in Uttar Pradesh that a person has been convicted under the Prevention of Illegal Conversion Act.
Actually, the incident took place 4-5 years back in 2016. The young man named Javed had promised to marry a minor. After that, the young man fled with him. Javed hid his identity from the minor. He introduced himself as ‘Munna’. A complaint was lodged with the police after the two escaped. The next day, the police arrested Javed. The minor told investigators that her ‘boyfriend’ Munna revealed his true identity after taking her home. And keep pushing for ‘Nika’. But the girl did not agree. The minor alleged that Javed also raped her.
After the arrest of Javed, a case was filed under POCSO Act. The young man went to jail. In the meantime, Uttar Pradesh passed the Prevention of Illegal Conversion Ordinance, 2020. It says it is a crime to try to change one’s religion by force, deceit, intimidation, influence, false promises or to marry for a change of religion.
