Police in Lucknow stopped an interfaith marriage, which was taking place with the consent of both the families, citing the newly formed anti-conversion ordinance. The police intervened just before the rituals began.
Maroof Ali, a young techie present at the wedding said, "This is exactly what is going to happen now. The police will decide whether a marriage can take place or not. The courts have said that no one can stop consenting adults from living together but with this law, it is the police that will take a call.”
Shirish Gupta, a relative from the bride’s side said, "The marriage was taking place in the presence of both the families but the police stopped the ceremonies. The guests were sent back without dinner. Could have never imagined such an incident would take place in Independent India.”
A Muslim cleric who didn’t want his name to be revealed said that our apprehensions have come true, police are running the state and individual freedom will be wiped now.
Sources say that the police reached the wedding venue on Wednesday night where Raina Gupta, 22, was to marry her childhood friend Mohammad Asif, 24 after a Hindu Mahasabha district president Brijesh Shukla had submitted a complaint about the wedding in writing.
The marriage ceremony was planned to be first solemnised according to Hindu rituals and then as per Muslim tradition.
Additional DCP (South Zone) Suresh Chandra Rawat said: "When the police reached the venue, they found that preparations were underway to conduct marriage rituals as per Hindu traditions. Later, the wedding was to be solemnised through Muslim rituals. The wedding was taking place with the consent of both families, but the planned religious ceremonies could not have been conducted without conversion."
The ADCP said they stopped the marriage by Section 3 and 8 (clause two) under the provision of the recently formulated law - Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020.
The law states that nobody should convert or attempt to convert directly or otherwise any person from one religion to another "by use or any practice of misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means or by marriage". Encouraging, convincing or conspiring to convert is punishable under the law.
Since the couple had approval from both families, no FIR has been lodged against anybody.
The bride's father told that the couple had both family's consent and there was no forced religious conversion in this marriage.
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"I was unaware, until the police told us, that even after consent from all the parties, an interfaith marriage can be held only with the district magistrate's approval,” said the bride’s father.
Raina and Mohammad Asif can now marry only after two months from the date of informing the District Magistrate.
Source: IANS