Mumbai: Samajwadi Party MLA from Bhiwandi East Rais Shaikh on Thursday wrote a letter to the Assembly Secretariat demanding that two private bills on love jihad and forced conversions introduced by BJP MLAs be rejected. MLA Shaikh alleged that the government’s intention to bring a law on the issue of Love Jihad was clear, but the ruling MLA had to bring a private bill because there was doubt over the government’s intention.

In a letter to the Assembly Secretariat, MLA Shaikh said that the government had constituted a 7-member committee headed by the state Director General of Police in February, which will study the legal provisions and draft a law to prevent conversion through force or fraud. The committee includes senior officials from key departments including Women and Child Welfare, Minority Affairs, Law and Justice, Social Justice and Special Assistance, and Home.

Although the government has set up a committee to study the legal framework, last week two MLAs from the ruling BJP introduced private bills on the issue of forced conversions. MLA Rais Shaikh said, “It seems that these bills have been brought to politicise the alleged issue of love jihad and create animosity between the two communities.”

Sheikh said that when a committee is constituted to study such a sensitive issue, members of the Assembly are expected to present their concerns and suggestions before the committee. “However, the two main objectives behind the private bills introduced by the BJP MLAs are only to distort and gain publicity,” alleged MLA Rais Shaikh. While the government has already announced its intention to enact a law against forced religious conversion, the introduction of private bills by ruling party MLAs shows a lack of confidence in the intentions of their own government. MLA Rais Shaikh wrote a letter to the Legislative Secretariat requesting the rejection of both the private bills.

Mumbai: Maharashtra Samajwadi Party leader and MLA Abu Asim Azmi has demanded action from the government against Shiv Sena Shinde faction member Sanjay Nirupam.

He said that Sanjay Nirupam sees hostility towards Muslims everywhere. If a Muslim builder builds a housing society and building, it is housing jihad. Similarly, Sanjay Nirupam is furious over the Muslim Personal Law Board’s announcement to build Shaheen Bagh to protect the properties of the Waqf Board. He says that if Shaheen Bagh is built, then Jallianwala Bagh will be built.

Azmi said that the country got independence only after the sacrifice in Jallianwala Bagh. Sanjay Nirupam should not forget this. He said that now the matter of giving Malhar certificate has been abandoned, while mutton and meat are bought from Muslims. Such certificates are being issued to destroy and ruin Muslims economically and to weaken them economically. We will agitate for this, we cannot step back from this, it is our duty.

Mumbai: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has arrested Arunachalam Nathan Muruthovar (age 62), a wanted accused in the New India Cooperative Bank (NICB) embezzlement case. Arunachalam, who was absconding for the last one month, surrendered at the Economic Offences Wing office in Mumbai this morning.

It is alleged that Arunachalam Muruthovar had received around Rs 30 crore from the misappropriated funds of NICB from the main accused Hitesh Mehta. The EOW had deployed several teams in various parts of India while Arunachalam was absconding.

After the surrender, Arunachalam Muruthovar was arrested and produced in the court. The court sent him to police custody till March 18 for further investigation.

Further investigation in the case is underway. So far 6 accused have been arrested. The EOW has also claimed progress in the investigation in this case.