Athawale opposes Maharashtra govt's 'love jihad' law plan, says PM considers all as equal
Shirdi (PTI): Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Sunday opposed the Maharashtra government's move to draft a law to stop "love jihad".
"Love jihad" is a term used by right-wing outfits to allege conspiracy by Muslim men to convert Hindu women through marriage.
The Maharashtra government has issued a Government Resolution (GR) stating that a committee headed by the director general of police (DGP) will suggest steps to tackle complaints of "love jihad" and forced conversions.
It will also look at legal aspects and the laws framed in other states and recommend legislation to prevent such instances.
"It is wrong to call interfaith unions as love jihad. There should be a provision to prevent conversions. Steps should be taken to prevent disruption of social and religious harmony," the Union minister for social justice and empowerment told reporters.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi considers everyone as equal and has initiated welfare measures for all. Muslims also benefit. PM Modi is against extremist Muslims and not the community," the Republican Party of India (A) chief added.
There are intercaste marriages as well, Athawale, whose party is a member of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, pointed out.
Speaking reporters in Nagpur earlier in the day, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said there was nothing wrong with interfaith marriages, but steps need to be taken against matrimonial alliances through fraud and false identity.
The CM said the Supreme Court and Kerala High Court have made observations about the reality of "love jihad".
Meanwhile, speaking on local body polls, Athawale said the RPI (A) would contest them independently if it is not given space in the ruling Mahayuti, which comprises the BJP, Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party.
Civic polls are due in several cities of the state since early 2022.
Athawale also said there was no need for the meeting between BJP MLA Suresh Dhas and NCP minister Dhananjay Munde.
Munde is under fire from the opposition and ruling alliance leaders, including Dhas, after the former's close aide Walmik Karad was arrested in an extortion case linked to the brutal murder of Beed sarpanch Deshmukh on December 9.
The meeting comes when the minister is facing political heat over the murder, Athawale asserted.
One accused in the murder case is still absconding, he pointed out.
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UP man gets life term for electrocuting mentally challenged wife to death in Bareilly
Bareilly (UP) (PTI): A local court here has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for murdering his mentally challenged wife by repeatedly electrocuting her while she was tied to a cot, lawyers said on Thursday.
Additional district government counsel Harendra Singh Rathore said Additional Sessions Judge Avinash Kumar Singh on Wednesday convicted Vinod Kumar (45) for killing his wife, Satyavati, in Chaina village of Bareilly district and imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 on him.
According to the prosecution, he was allegedly frustrated with his wife Satyavati's mental illness and often assaulted her.
Rathore said the prosecution examined nine witnesses to establish the charges against him.
As per court records, on the night of May 1-2, 2022, when Satyavati was asleep, Vinod tied her hands and legs to a cot using ropes and then connected an aluminium cable to an electric board to repeatedly administer electric shocks to her.
"She writhed in pain, but the accused continued to electrocute her until she died," the prosecution said.
The court observed that the murder was carried out in an inhuman manner.
After committing the crime, the accused threw the rope and cable on the roof and left for work at a brick kiln around 2 am to create a false alibi.
He later tried to mislead the police and the victim's family by claiming that Satyavati, whose mental condition was unstable, had accidentally died by suicide after grabbing a live electric wire.
However, the victim's brother, Sanjeev, a resident of Shahjahanpur district, suspected foul play and lodged an FIR under sections 498A (husband subjecting wife to cruelty) and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code at Nawabganj police station.
During the trial, the prosecution relied on the post-mortem report prepared by Dr Faraz Anwar, who stated that multiple electrocution marks found on different parts of the victim's body could not have been self-inflicted.
The police also recovered the rope and electric wire used in the crime on the accused's identification, officials said.
