The probe conducted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into interfaith marriages in Kerala came to an end, and there was no evidence of coercion in any of the cases of ‘love jihad’ that were examined, reported Hindustan Times.
The investigation into interfaith marriages in the state happened in the background of the Hadiya case. The NIA had chosen to investigate 11 cases of interfaith marriages out of the 89 marriages that were before the law enforcement authorities. These 89 marriages were brought to the notice of law enforcement on complaints from the parents of the couples. The cases were referred to the anti-terrorism wing by the Kerala police.
According to the report, the NIA concluded the probe since the agency had not found any evidence to suggest that either the man or the woman in the marriage was forced to convert, and that there was no proof of a larger criminal design in the matter.
Hadiya, a 24-year-old woman, had converted into Islam and married Shafin Jahan, following which the Kerala High Court annulled her marriage following a petition filed by her father. Overturning the HC order, the Supreme Court ruled that the marriage was valid. It said that as an adult woman, she had the right to choose her partner.
The NIA had, in most of the cases found that a similar set of people and organisations associated with Popular Front of India (PFI) were involved in helping either the man or the woman in a relationship convert to Islam. But, it did not find any evidence to prosecute anybody under any of the scheduled offences of the NIA like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the report said.
There were at least four interfaith marriages where Hindu men embraced Islam among the 11 cases examined by the NIA. In the rest of the cases, Hindu women married Muslim men. There were at least three cases in which efforts for conversion did not succeed.