Lucknow, 12 May: In the midst of the recent debate over the film The Kerala Story, the Uttar Pradesh government has revealed statistics about the Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, which went into force on November 27, 2020. The government documented 427 conversion-related incidents between January 1, 2021, and April 30, 2023.
More than 833 arrests were made during the same period. “In 185 cases, victims have even admitted in court that they were forcibly converted. So far, 65 cases of minor conversion have been reported concurrently,” according to a State government press statement. The Bareilly zone had the most instances, with 86, while Gorakhpur had 59, Lucknow had 53, Meerut had 47, Prayagraj had 46, and Varanasi had 39.
In addition, 137 people were arrested in Bareilly, 124 in Lucknow, 101 in Varanasi, 81 in Gorakhpur, 65 in Meerut, 37 in Agra, and 21 in Kanpur.
The Kerala Story, a contentious film based on the religious conversion of Hindu women in Kerala and their subsequent participation in terrorist activities by joining the Islamic State (IS), has been declared ‘tax-free’ in Uttar Pradesh, with Chief Minister, Yogi watching the movie with entire State Cabinet on May 12.
Meanwhile, critics have labelled the film as ‘propaganda’ aimed at supporting the love jihad conspiracy theory and the Sangh Parivar’s objective. The Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act of Uttar Pradesh is likewise intended at combating the claimed love jihad notion and “unlawful religious conversions.”
