For more than three years, Maharashtra witnessed dozens of rallies by Hindutva outfits, led by BJP leaders, spreading ‘love jihad’ conspiracies, threatening Muslims, and demanding a law to criminalise interfaith relationships. Footsoldiers fanned out across cities and towns, breaking up couples and building ‘sleeper cells’ to track such relationships. Now, Maharashtra has enacted India’s 13th anti‑conversion law, granting police sweeping powers to investigate religious conversions.