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A month after arresting a Haridwar-based Muslim labourer, the first among others in the state to be charged under the new law against forced conversions, the Uttar Pradesh government has told the Allahabad high court that it has found no evidence of such against him and dropped the charges.

Nadeem, 32 and his brother Salman, were named in a complaint filed in by Akshay Kumar Tyagi, the woman’s husband. Tyagi had accused Nadeem of wanting to marry his wife and forcing her to convert religion.

"The Investigating officer has found that it is not a case of UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance 2020 and the Act UP Ordinance No. 21 of 2020,” said the affidavit filed by the UP government on Wednesday. “There is no evidence found that the accused Nadeem is having an illicit relation with Parul, nor has any evidence come forward that he tried to change the religion of Parul.”

While the Centre had informed the Lok Sabha last February that no “case of “love jihad” had been reported by any of the central agencies”, investigations by the National Investigation Agency and the Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department have turned up no evidence for this alleged conspiracy either. The National Commission for Women too maintains no data about “love jihad”.

There are apprehensions around this law to be a tool for harassing Muslim men. Bareilly police on January 3 admitted that three Muslim men were wrongly framed under the law. With the UP government now admitting that there is no evidence against Nadeem, there is evidence to support the fears that were expressed.

Apart from Uttar Pradesh, four other BJP-ruled states – Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana and Assam have also decided to introduce laws aimed at preventing inter-faith marriage.