In view of growing public outcry and anger over the sensational Shraddha Walkar murder case, a Bhartiya Janata Party MLA Rajeshwar Singh has urged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to amend state laws dealing with heinous crimes to ensure ‘stricter’ punishment in "love jihad" cases.
In a six-page letter, Singh sought amendments to the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, to enable speedy justice in such cases. He said there is a need to broaden the definition of allurement in cases of "love jihad" and must include marriage, promise of marriage or conjugal relationship or live-in relationship. "Love jihad" is a term used by right-wing activists to allege a concerted effort by Muslim men to convert Hindu women to Islam through marriage, though the courts and the government do not officially recognise it. The MLA was referring to the killing of 27-year-old Shraddha Vikas Walkar allegedly by her partner Aaftab Amin Poonawala (28) in Delhi`s Mehrauli area in May this year. The father of Shraddha Walkar, who was allegedly murdered and her body was cut into 35 pieces by her live-in partner Aftab Ameen Poonawala in Delhi, on Tuesday demanded a death penalty for the accused while also suspecting a "love jihad" angle behind the incident."I suspected a love jihad angle. We demand death penalty for Aftab. I trust Delhi Police and the probe is moving in the right direction. Shraddha was close to her uncle and didn't talk to me much. I was never in touch with Aftab. I lodged the first complaint in Mumbai's Vasai," her father Vikas Walkar told news agency ANI. The couple were in a relationship since 2019 and had moved to Delhi this year, police sources told ANI. Prior to this, they were in Maharashtra and used to travel to various places. They visited some hill stations in March-April and in May, they went to Himachal Pradesh where they met a man who lived in Chhatarpur. Upon shifting to Delhi, they initially stayed at the man's flat.