Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Monday that the state is working on new laws to address issues related to “love jihad” and land sales.
Sarma explained that the government plans to introduce stricter penalties for cases of “love jihad,” where people pretend to be of a different religion on social media to marry women. He said that in Assam, some individuals use fake Hindu identities online to deceive and marry Hindu women, only for the women to later discover the truth. The proposed law would include severe punishments, possibly up to life imprisonment, for those found guilty of hiding their identity to deceive others.
The Assam government is also considering a law that would require permission for Hindu-Muslim land transactions. Sarma stated that due to demographic changes, original communities in Assam, such as Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Scheduled Castes (SC), are becoming minorities and their land is being bought through dubious methods. The new law would restrict land sales between different communities, ensuring that ST and SC individuals can only sell their land to others within their own categories. This policy aims to protect the cultural and ethnic integrity of all communities in Assam.
Additionally, Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed that the Waqf bill will be amended, and a new domicile rule will be introduced. This rule will ensure that only residents of Assam are eligible for government jobs in the state.