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The Maharashtra Government is planning to enact a law that prevents forceful religious conversions in the state. In a statement to the Legislative Council, the Minister of State for Home (Rural), Pankaj Bhoyar, noted that the State Government intends to bring a tough law that stops forceful religious conversions in the winter session of the Legislature. The provisions of which are going to be stricter than the ones existing in other states.Â
Notably, Maharashtra will be the 11th state of India to bring an anti-conversion law, after Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand. While talking to the House, Pankaj Bhoyar said, "A panel has been formed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, under the Director General of Police (DGP), to frame a law against religious conversions that will be more stringent than the other states. A report on the issue has already been drafted by the DGP and submitted. The law will be passed in the upcoming winter session."Â
CM Fadnavis had said on Friday that the government's further course of action will be decided after examining the DGP's report. Last week, the Revenue Minister of Maharashtra, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, had also said that the government will bring a strict law to curb religious conversions in the state.Â
The issue of rising forced conversions in the state was also raised by Shiv Sena leader and nominated MLC Manisha Kayande. She alleged that a pregnant woman in the Sangli district of Maharashtra had committed suicide because of being forced to convert religion by her in-laws. A Pune-based family had fights over religious conversion, for which there was cross-filing of FIRs. When Kayande had questioned whether the Mahayuti Government would bring any such law in Maharashtra, the minister had affirmed the same.Â
The winter session of the Maharashtra State Legislature is held in December in Nagpur, which is the second capital of Maharashtra.
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