The Madhya Pradesh government plans to introduce capital punishment for those involved in the religious conversion of minor girls, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced during an International Women’s Day event.
Speaking at a government function in Bhopal on March 8, Mr Yadav said the provision for the death penalty would be added to the state’s existing Freedom of Religion Act, comparing it to the punishment for those who rape minors.
“The government is very strict against those who rape innocent daughters. A provision for the death penalty has been made in this regard as our government is not going to spare those who rape girls by force or by luring. We don’t want to give them a chance to live at any cost. Besides this, a provision for capital punishment is also being made under the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act for those who religiously convert [girls],” Mr Yadav said.
The Chief Minister later posted on X (formerly Twitter) that his government was committed to the protection and self-respect of “daughters.”
“After [the provision for] death penalty for those who rape [our] daughters, now provision for capital punishment will also be made in Madhya Pradesh for those who convert daughters,” he stated.
Following the announcement, the state government issued a statement emphasising that strict action would be taken against those who “forcefully or by luring people to marry or convert their religion.”
The statement read: “Chief Minister Dr. Yadav said that the government will take the strictest steps against those who misbehave with girls, women and daughters. The culprits will be given death penalty. No culprit will be spared under any circumstances.”
The Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, enacted in 2021, currently prohibits religious conversions through misrepresentation, force, coercion or fraudulent means. It prescribes up to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000 for those found guilty of forcing religious conversions.
During the Women’s Day celebration, Mr Yadav’s security detail was notably handled by an all-women team, including those managing his cavalcade and driving the official vehicles.
The announcement has faced criticism from opposition leaders. Congress MLA Arif Masood urged the Chief Minister to first define “forced conversion” and questioned the government’s ability to address existing cases of missing girls.
“First, the chief minister should clarify what forced conversion means,” Mr Masood told ANI. “Also, there are still missing girls in Bhopal. Recently, a girl from Itkhedi went missing, and her family has been in distress for the past three days. The CM talks about strict action, but he has yet to locate her or the accused.”
State Congress president Jitu Patwari also criticised the state government, alleging that approximately four lakh women in Madhya Pradesh have “disappeared” over the past five to six years.
The announcement has also drawn sharp criticism from religious leaders. Father Babu Joseph, former spokesperson for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, strongly condemned the Chief Minister’s proposal, describing it as inappropriate for a state official whose duty includes upholding constitutional rights. Speaking to The Crux, he pointed out the contradiction of introducing capital punishment for religious conversion when many countries are moving away from such severe penalties. Father Joseph emphasised that religious belief is a personal matter beyond state control, and criticised the growing trend of politicising religious issues in certain Indian states.
Similar legislative developments are underway in other BJP-governed states. The Rajasthan government recently tabled the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill, 2025, which seeks to criminalise religious conversion through coercion, fraud, force, and marriage.
In Maharashtra, a private member’s Bill on “love jihad” and anti-conversion was listed in the Legislative Assembly. The Bill, brought forward by BJP MLAs Atul Bhatkhalkhar and Sudhir Mungantiwar, seeks to make forcible conversions a cognisable offence with imprisonment of up to three years and a fine of up to ₹15,000.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has also pushed for a “love jihad law” in the state, claiming the government has received over 100,000 complaints of illegal conversions, suggesting there is a “methodical madness” behind them.
Multiple states across India, including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, and Odisha, have already enacted various forms of anti-conversion legislation, with penalties ranging from imprisonment to substantial fines.
