CHANDIGARH: A 21-year-old Muslim youth converted to Hinduism before marrying a Hindu girl at Yamunanagar. The newlywed couple is under protection of Haryana Police following intervention of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The youth, who works in a private firm, changed his name before marrying the girl in a temple at Yamunanagar as per Hindu rituals on November 9. He had then claimed that his parents were ready to accept their marriage, but the girl’s family was against it.
The couple had then approached the HC saying they feared threat to their lives from the girl’s side, while submitting that opposition to their marriage was a serious abuse of their rights provided under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Under directions of the High Court, the state police had lodged the couple in a protection home in Yamunanagar. Superintendent of Police Kamaldeep Goyal said the youth had changed his name and married the girl on Nov 9 as per Hindu rituals.
The girl had earlier declined to meet her family members, who during a hearing in the case in the High Court on November 11 wanted to meet the girl once. “Our officer met the girl’s family and tried to convince them that the two were married and that they should allow them to live together,’’ said Goyal. Last week Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij said the state government had set up a three-member committee to draft a law against the so-called ‘love jihad’.