Ghazipur: A 17-year-old boy has been booked under the newly promulgated anti-conversion law in Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh. This is the first case where a minor has been arrested under this law.
He was accused of kidnapping a 15-year-old girl earlier this week. The police found both of them on Friday, after which the boy was arrested. A case under the anti-conversion law was registered along with section 363 (kidnapping), 366 (abduction with intent to marry) and section 120 B (criminal conspiracy).
The boy was produced before a Juvenile Justice Board and was sent to a protection home whereas the girl’s statement before the magistrate is yet to be examined.
According to the Indian Express, the girl had gone to the market when she was seen getting into a car with the boy, who belongs to the neighbouring village. Her family was informed by a neighbour after which her mother lodged a complaint against the boy and two of his friends.
The Anti-Conversion Law has been recently passed by the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh. The law has received a significant amount of criticism for being anti-choice, and for being a right-wing agenda to further the unproven “love-jihad” theory, and for attacking Muslims.
A number of false cases have come to notice where the police have arrested Muslim men and later realised that there was no case of “love-jihad”.