The Assam government, led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, is preparing to introduce a new law targeting what it calls “love jihad,” with a provision allowing the arrest of parents of the accused men.

Announcing the move on Saturday (October 25), Sarma said the proposed legislation will form part of a series of bills the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government plans to table in the upcoming session of the Assam Assembly.

“We want to save our women from traps where they become victims of love-jihad and polygamy. We are bringing stringent laws, and the parents of the male accused in love-jihad cases will also be liable for arrest under the new law,” said Sarma, reported Hindustan Times.

The chief minister said the government will also introduce an anti-polygamy law as part of its efforts to address what he described as crimes against women.

“Under the new law, if a man marries more than one woman, he will face up to seven years’ imprisonment,” Sarma said.

He further commented on population control, stating, “Some people say that Allah gives them children, so they cannot stop giving birth. I say, give birth as many as you wish, but do not expect government help to raise them or to send them to government schools.”

Sarma also responded to recent remarks made by activist Medha Patkar regarding the investigation into singer Zubeen Garg’s death and the state’s eviction drives.

“Outsiders do not understand the suffering of the indigenous people of Assam,” he said, urging people like Patkar to refrain from intervening.

“One community is trying to grab our land, and trying to take away our sisters through tricks like love-jihad. People like Medha Patkar won’t see that. If she comes here to protest against evictions, we will take strict action,” Sarma told Hindustan Times.

The term “love jihad” first appeared in 2009 as a conspiracy theory propagated by Sanatan Prabhat and the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, before being amplified by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

Since 2014, the phrase has become a recurring theme in the BJP’s political narrative, with states such as Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana enacting similar laws.

While occasional media reports highlight interfaith marriages and related controversies, there are no official statistics on such cases.

However, critics have pointed out that Hindu vigilante groups and a partisan police apparatus have led to arrests under the pretext of “love jihad,” reinforcing what many describe as a false and communal narrative.