Within a week of a new anti-conversion law being promulgated, the Bareilly police made the first arrest after a man accused a youth of harassing his daughter to change her religion on Wednesday.
On November 28, Governor Anandiben Patel had given her assent to the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020 to thwart forcible or fraudulent religious conversions. The law provides for imprisonment of up to 10 years and a maximum fine of Rs 50,000 under different categories.
The case, the first of its kind in the state, was registered at Devarniya police station of Bareilly district against Owais Ahmad based on a complaint by Tikaram of Sharif Nagar village on November 28.
In his complaint, Tikaram mentioned that his daughter and Ahmed studied together in Class 12. He stated that three years ago, Ahmed started pressuring his daughter to convert to Islam and marry him and when the girl opposed, he threatened to kidnap her.
Tikaram’s daughter married someone else in June but Ahmad continued to harass her and her family.
The accused was charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the anti-conversion law.
“This is the first arrest under the new law. Owais Ahmad was arrested from the Richha railway gate of Bahedi area on Wednesday. He was produced before a local court which sent him to 14-day judicial custody,” DIG, Bareilly Range, Rajesh Kumar Pandey, said.