Ahmedabad: The political phrase oft used for conversion with marriage, ‘Love Jihad’, has found a place in the state government administration communique.
The State House Department uses it when writing a letter to the Director General of Police (DGP) last week.
For the first time, ‘Love Jihad’ is referred to as a type of violation when the additional secretary of the home department (Law & Order), Nikhil Bhatt, sent a letter to DGP Ashish Bhatia on September 17.
Bhattia told Bhatia to convey to a senior police officer to convey important government events and serious violations before they crossed electronic and social media.
Bhatt letter reading: “I stated that a number of important and serious incidents / violations occurred in the state such as legal disorders and order …”.
The letter then mentioned another violation: “…
the riots / communal incidents, clashes between groups, ban / gambling / narcotics related to SMC attacks, terrorist activities, major economic violations …”.
The letter also quoted “…
political incidents, crimes on land grabbing, violations related to love jihad, groups, havoc artificial or natural, including main road accidents.” The letter said these cases were “reportedly very late after they flashed in electronic / social media.” The House Department has appointed additional DGP (Law & Order), Narsimha Komar, as a nodal officer whose senior police notice will now bring the earliest significant development for a quick response.
By changing the Gujarat religious freedom law in June, the state government conducted repentance by interferith marriage violations that could be recognized.
Amendments have lived in the Gujarat High Court after the challenge for its constitutional validity.
The use of ‘love jihad’ as a violation has invited strong objections from certain circles.
The convention of the Minority Coordination Committee, Gujarat, Mujahid Nafees, wrote to the additional secretaries who said that phrases had been misused.
“The word ‘jihad’ is the sacred term in Islam, which bears the meaning of the struggle,” Safees wrote.
“Do you ask Urdu or Arab scholars, you will know about the importance.
This word has never been used in Islam for errors.”