Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma recently announced that the state’s upcoming “Love Jihad” law will include a provision allowing the arrest of the accused man’s parents.
The proposed legislation, to be tabled in the next session of the Assam Assembly, will also introduce strict measures against polygamy, with offenders facing up to seven years in jail.
Speaking at a women’s empowerment scheme event in Cachar district, Sarma said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government aims to protect women from what he described as the “traps of love jihad and polygamy.”
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He added, “We are bringing a stringent law. In cases of love jihad, not only the man but also his parents will be arrested under the new law.”
The chief minister further stated that under the proposed anti-polygamy provisions, any man found to have married more than one woman would face imprisonment of up to seven years. “Many men marry multiple times, and it is women who suffer the most,” he said.
Sarma also announced that women giving birth to more than three children will be ineligible for government welfare schemes aimed at women’s empowerment. “A Few people say it is their faith that Allah gives them children. I say, have as many children as you wish, but don’t expect government support to raise them or send them to school,” he remarked.
The upcoming legislative session, according to Sarma, will see the introduction of several key bills, including measures to curb polygamy and “love jihad.” These steps are part of the BJP government’s broader agenda to regulate religious conversions and promote population control.
While Sarma’s statements drew strong reactions, critics have pointed out that “love jihad” remains an unverified concept with no legal or statistical basis. The term, first used by Hindutva groups in 2009, refers to an alleged conspiracy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women into marriage for religious conversion , a claim repeatedly dismissed by legal and investigative agencies.
Assam will join BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Haryana, which have already enacted laws targeting so-called “love jihad” marriages and polygamy.
In recent years ” Love Jihad” incidents have increased especially in lower Assam in large numbers.
The chief minister has expressed his worries about ” Love Jihad” in his independence day speech this year also .