LUCKNOW: Police in northern India have arrested 10 men for allegedly compelling women to change their religion after getting married, using a highly controversial new anti-conversion law popularly called the "Love Jihad" law, officials said on Monday.

Last month, Uttar Pradesh state became the first Indian province to pass a law against forced or fraudulent religious conversions, laying out prison terms for anyone compelling others to convert their faith or luring them into these conversions through marriage.

The anti-conversion law does not name any religion but critics call it Islamophobic for being solely imposed with the objective of preventing "Love Jihad", which hardline Hindu groups describe as a conspiracy to convert gullible Hindu women to Islam by misleading them with promises of love and marriage.