Have sought info from Himachal on their law against love jihad: Haryana minister tells assembly

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij. (File)

The recent murder of woman outside her college in Faridabad’s Ballabhgarh echoed in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha Friday with Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij reiterating that the state government is considering a law against “love jihad” and has sought information from Himachal Pradesh, which had passed a bill on the issue.

“The Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha in 2019 had passed a bill against conversion by force, inducement or through marriages solemnised solely for the purpose of adopting a new religion. We are considering to bring a stern law against love jihad in Haryana,” Vij said replying to a calling attention notice drawing attention towards the Ballabhgarh incident.

Nikita Tomar, a 20-year-old woman, was shot dead outside her college, allegedly by her former classmate, Tauseef, with her family telling police he had a one-sided affection towards her. The woman’s father alleged that the accused had been pressuring his daughter to marry him a few days before the murder, “asking her to convert to Islam so they could get married, but she was not willing”.

Vij informed the House that the case would be listed before a fast track court so that the guilty could be punished, swiftly.

“This murder has shaken the entire country. The prime accused, Touseef, belonged to a local political family and was arrested within 12 hours of the crime,” Vij said, adding that security has been provided to the victim’s family. “A gun license too is being issued on the demand of the family and legal assistance is being provided to them,” he added.

Earlier, INLD MLA Abhay Singh Chautala sought from the state government to take adequate steps to protect lives of women. He also demanded that police security should be provided outside educational institutions having girl students to stop such incidents.

Vij also informed the House that the Nikita Tomar murder case has been included as “Chinhit Apradh” to ensure its monitoring ans speedy trial.

Under “Chinhit Apradh” scheme launched by Haryana government in 2019, serious and sensational crimes that adversely impact the psyche of the masses by shaking their collective conscience are identified. To ensure speedy and proper trial to secure conviction through an institutional mechanism, a state-level committee headed by the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) reviews the progress of cases listed under “Chinhit Apradh”.

Further talking about the case, the Home Minister said that a case of kidnapping was registered against Tauseef and Rehan by Nikita’s family in the 2018, which was later withdrawn. “The entire case, including the abduction case from 2018, will be investigated,” he added.

Vij also claimed that cases of crime against women have registered a decrease in Haryana. “According to a National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, there has been a nationwide increase of 7.3 per cent in crimes against women in 2019 as compared to 2018. In comparison, Haryana recorded an increase of only 2.49 per cent. In 2020, as many as 8,307 such cases have been registered as against 10,004 in 2019. During this period, 145 lesser cases of rape, 224 lesser cases of molestation, 576 lesser cases of abduction of women, 811 lesser dowry related cases, three lesser cases of acid attack and seven lesser cases of immoral trafficking have been recorded in Haryana,” he said.

‘State to install CCTV cameras in all cities’

Responding to a question during the Question Hour in the House, Home Minister Anil Vij said, “We are planning to install CCTV cameras in all the cities. Appropriate guidelines in this regard are also being issued. Earlier, CCTV cameras were installed in the Smart Cities by the Urban Local Bodies Department, the maintenance of which is now being given to the Home Department”.

He added that 120 CCTV cameras will be installed on NH-1 in various districts by Haryana State Electronics Development Corporation Limited for highway safety.

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