Amid the ongoing debate over love jihad, Madhya Pradesh on Saturday followed in Uttar Pradesh' footsteps to enact an anti-conversion bill. The Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Bill 2020 metes out a heavy punishment for those forcibly converting people to another religion.
"We won't allow forced conversions in Madhya Pradesh. Under new bill, anyone who does it will face jail term up to 10 yrs and minimum Rs 50,000 fine. Many incidents came to light where minor girls were converted, married & made to contest Panchayat polls," Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.
"Under new Bill, forcing religious conversion on someone will attract one to five years of imprisonment and a minimum Rs 25,000 fine," said Narottam Mishra, State Minister.
The Twitter reaction has, unsurprisingly been divided. While many have criticised the administration for the move, contending that this could lead to religious biases, others are exceedingly pleased.
Many cited the numerous cases from UP that have made headlines since the controversial law was enacted. Others still scoured the details of the MP Bill, questioning points such as the seeking of permission prior to conversion. According to the Bill, those voluntarily converting to other religions would have to give information to the District Magistrate 60 days in advance. Failure to provide the correct information would lead to a jail sentence of three to five years and a fine of Rs 50,000.
Others still took a jibe at other recent policies put forth by the MP cabinet. Take a look at some of the posts:
