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BHOPAL: Close on the heels of a national shooter claiming she was being coerced by her husband to embrace Islam, similar allegations of forced conversions have stirred the cauldron in Madhya Pradesh’s restive Chambal region.

Two dalit youths, who converted to Islam and were also forcing their wives to change their religion, have been booked under the MP Freedom of Religion Act 1968. This is the first ever FIR on forced conversions in the region. The incident was reported from the state’s Shivpuri district where Maniram Jatav, 30, and Tularam Jatav, 19, have been booked under Sections 4 and 5 of the Act also known as Madhya Pradesh Dharma Swatantraya Adhinivam.
 
Police said Maniram Jatav, resident of Shivpuri’s Khanidana village, embraced Islam two years ago, changed his name to Abdullah and started a small business in the area. Maniram also got his wife converted without completing any legal formalities, said police.
 
Maniram then lured Tularam Jatav, a labour for religious conversion, said police. Tularam changed his name to Abdul Kareem in 2013. However, he was thrown out of his home by his family after the conversion. The matter surfaced after he subjected his wife to a month of torture for refusing to accept Islam, said sources. She reported the matter to her family who subsequently approached an organization and got a complaint registered.
 
"Maniram is a convert and also the convertor. Investigations revealed that both of them had violated the law for religion conversion," said SS Jadon, station house officer (SHO) of Khanidana police station where the FIR was registered. During investigations Tularam alias Abdul Kareem submitted an affidavit that he wanted to be a Hindu again.
 
"Once an offence has been committed, it cannot be condoned. There is a laid norm for conversation to any religion, it should have been followed," said the SHO.
 
As per the Madhya Pradesh Dharma Swatantraya Adhinivam 1968, "Any person contravening the provision contained in section 3 shall, without prejudice to any civil liability be punishable with imprisonment which may extend to one year or with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees or with both; provided that in case the offence is committed in respect of a minor, a woman or a person belonging to the Schedules Castes or Scheduled Tribes the punishment shall be imprisonment to the extent of two years and fine up to ten thousand rupees." Also, the district magistrate should be intimated about the same.
 
"If any person fails with sufficient cause to comply with the provisions of the said Act, he/she shall be punishable with imprisonment which may extend to one year or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees or with both," the act says.
 
Before the last assembly elections, the BJP government had proposed the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2013 against the 1968 legislation mandating prior permission was compulsory and a stringent jail term for forcible conversions.
 
While the 1968 legislation provided a jail term of one year for forcible conversions, the proposed Bill stipulates a jail term of up to three years or a fine up to Rs 50,000, or both, for conversion is done using force, allurement or any other fraudulent means.
 
A similar move by the MP government to pass a similar amendment in 2006 was rejected by the President on grounds that it will violate freedom of religion guaranteed in the Constitution because it insists on prior permission.
 
The issue of ’love jihad’ has been raised again in the country after a national level shooter Tara Shahdeo alleged that she was tricked into marriage and tortured by her husband when she refused to convert to Islam.