The Madhya Pradesh authorities plans to introduce capital punishment for these concerned within the non secular conversion of minor ladies, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav introduced throughout an Worldwide Ladies’s Day occasion.
Talking at a authorities perform in Bhopal on March 8, Mr Yadav stated the supply for the loss of life penalty can be added to the state’s current Freedom of Faith Act, evaluating it to the punishment for many who rape minors.
“The federal government could be very strict in opposition to those that rape harmless daughters. A provision for the loss of life penalty has been made on this regard as our authorities just isn’t going to spare those that rape ladies by pressure or by luring. We don’t wish to give them an opportunity to dwell at any price. In addition to this, a provision for capital punishment can also be being made underneath the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Faith Act for many who religiously convert [girls],” Mr Yadav stated.
The Chief Minister later posted on X (previously Twitter) that his authorities was dedicated to the safety and self-respect of “daughters.”
“After [the provision for] loss of life penalty for many who rape [our] daughters, now provision for capital punishment may even be made in Madhya Pradesh for many who convert daughters,” he acknowledged.
Following the announcement, the state authorities issued an announcement emphasising that strict motion can be taken in opposition to those that “forcefully or by luring individuals to marry or convert their faith.”
The assertion learn: “Chief Minister Dr. Yadav stated that the federal government will take the strictest steps in opposition to those that misbehave with ladies, ladies and daughters. The culprits might be given loss of life penalty. No perpetrator might be spared underneath any circumstances.”
The Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Faith Act, enacted in 2021, at the moment prohibits non secular conversions by way of misrepresentation, pressure, coercion or fraudulent means. It prescribes as much as 10 years imprisonment and a advantageous of Rs 50,000 for these discovered responsible of forcing non secular conversions.
In the course of the Ladies’s Day celebration, Mr Yadav’s safety element was notably dealt with by an all-women group, together with these managing his cavalcade and driving the official automobiles.
The announcement has confronted criticism from opposition leaders. Congress MLA Arif Masood urged the Chief Minister to first outline “compelled conversion” and questioned the federal government’s skill to deal with current instances of lacking ladies.
“First, the chief minister ought to make clear what compelled conversion means,” Mr Masood informed ANI. “Additionally, there are nonetheless lacking ladies in Bhopal. Not too long ago, a lady from Itkhedi went lacking, and her household has been in misery for the previous three days. The CM talks about strict motion, however he has but to find her or the accused.”
State Congress president Jitu Patwari additionally criticised the state authorities, alleging that roughly 4 lakh ladies in Madhya Pradesh have “disappeared” over the previous 5 to 6 years.
The announcement has additionally drawn sharp criticism from non secular leaders. Father Babu Joseph, former spokesperson for the Catholic Bishops’ Convention of India, strongly condemned the Chief Minister’s proposal, describing it as inappropriate for a state official whose responsibility consists of upholding constitutional rights. Chatting with The Crux, he identified the contradiction of introducing capital punishment for non secular conversion when many international locations are shifting away from such extreme penalties. Father Joseph emphasised that non secular perception is a private matter past state management, and criticised the rising pattern of politicising non secular points in sure Indian states.
Comparable legislative developments are underway in different BJP-governed states. The Rajasthan authorities just lately tabled the Rajasthan Prohibition of Illegal Conversion of Faith Invoice, 2025, which seeks to criminalise non secular conversion by way of coercion, fraud, pressure, and marriage.
In Maharashtra, a non-public member’s Invoice on “love jihad” and anti-conversion was listed within the Legislative Meeting. The Invoice, introduced ahead by BJP MLAs Atul Bhatkhalkhar and Sudhir Mungantiwar, seeks to make forcible conversions a cognisable offence with imprisonment of as much as three years and a advantageous of as much as ₹15,000.
In the meantime, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has additionally pushed for a “love jihad regulation” within the state, claiming the federal government has obtained over 100,000 complaints of unlawful conversions, suggesting there’s a “methodical insanity” behind them.
A number of states throughout India, together with Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, and Odisha, have already enacted numerous types of anti-conversion laws, with penalties starting from imprisonment to substantial fines.
