Assam to make 'love jihad' punishable with life imprisonment, says CM Sarma

Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh have enacted 'love jihad' legislation

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the state government plans to enact a new law targeting ‘love jihad’ offenders, which would impose a life imprisonment sentence.

Speaking at a BJP state executive meeting in Guwahati, CM Sarma outlined several initiatives designed to safeguard the rights of indigenous communities and to honour commitments made during the 2021 elections.

“We spoke about ‘love jihad’ during the elections. Soon, we will bring a law, which will award life imprisonment in such cases,” he said.
 

Several states, including Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh, have enacted ‘love jihad’ legislation.

Assam chief minister announced that a new domicile policy will be introduced soon. This policy will restrict government job eligibility in Assam to individuals born in the state. He stated that the Assam government has prioritised local residents in filling the 100,000 government positions promised before the elections.

The chief minister revealed that a new regulation regarding land transactions between Hindus and Muslims will be implemented. The law will require the chief minister’s approval for any such land deals.

The Indian Express quoted the chief minister as saying, “Earlier, there were inter-religious land transfers. Hindus’ lands were bought by Muslims, Muslims’ lands were bought by Hindus. The government cannot prevent such transactions but it has decided that for the land of a Hindu to be bought by a Muslim and vice-versa, there can be land sale permission only after the chief minister’s consent is taken.”

Sarma also mentioned that the state government plans to impose restrictions on land sales to a specific community in the Goalpara region of lower Assam.

Last month, the state government decided to repeal the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorce Registration Act and its associated rules from 1935. This legislation permitted underage marriages under certain circumstances.

Sarma stated that the Bharatiya Janata Party is dedicated to protecting the rights of the indigenous communities within the state. He also mentioned that sales of land in key areas of Assam’s neo-vaishnavite culture, such as Barpeta, Majuli, and Batadrava, would be limited to ‘native’ people.

[With agency inputs]