An 18-year-old girl was allegedly pushed to death from the fourth floor of a building by a youth, her neighbour, in Lucknow after she refused to 'convert' and 'marry' him.
According to the police sources here, the girl, a resident of Dubagga locality in the city, had a tiff with one Sufiyan, who lived in the neighbourhood, over 'conversion' and 'marriage' following which the latter allegedly pushed her from his apartment on the fourth floor on Tuesday.
The victim had gone to Sufiyan's house with her mother and brother to complain to his parents about his behaviour, sources added. The victim was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to her injuries later in the night, sources said.
''Sufiyan had been stalking the victim for some time....he was pressuring her to convert and marry him,'' the mother of the victim said.
Police said that a case had been registered and a hunt was launched to nab Sufiyan, who was absconding.
Saffron leaders here claimed that it was a case of attempted 'love jihad' (Muslim youths luring Hindu girls into marriage on false pretenses) and demanded stern punishment for the accused.
The Uttar Pradesh government had enacted a law to curb religious conversion, if done under duress, force, allurement, or any other fraudulent means or for the purpose of marriage, and made it an offence. The UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act 2020 provides for a maximum of ten years imprisonment and a fine to the violators.
UP was the first state to have a law against religious conversion through deceit, force, allurement, or any other fraudulent means or for the purpose of marriage.
Although the Act nowhere used the term 'love jihad', the BJP leaders have maintained that it was a law to prevent what they allege ''rising cases of Hindu girls being lured through fraudulent ways into marriage by Muslim youths.''
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