Police had filed a report in court on Friday, saying there was no evidence of the charges brought under UP’s new anti-conversion law.
At around 11:45 a.m., the man and his brother were released. They got home around 1.30pm with a family eagerly waiting. “Aa jaa mere bachcha (come here, my son)”, said his mother as she hugged him, tears rolling down his face. His wife, still ill from the miscarriage she had a few days ago, managed to sit up. “I feel like my life has come back,” he said. “Let’s start again”. Her mother-in-law smiled: “My children have come home. My daughter-in-law is here with me. Could not be happier.”
The family has been dealing with everything that led up to this point. “We were doing the right thing, registering their marriage,” the man’s brother said as his mother added, “That day, we were returning from court after consulting with a lawyer. My son had been married five months ago. The lawyer took money from us and then reported us to Bajrang Dal. ”
Sources said the lawyer’s brother is a member of Bajrang Dal. The right-wing group had told TOI that they were doing their duty “as citizens” by denouncing the couple.
“We were detained near Ramleela Ground by men from Bajrang Dal. They misbehaved with us and took us to the police, ”said the brother. “They called me later. I hadn’t committed any crime, so I went to the thana. They detained me and my brother, ”said the husband.
At the police station, her mother said, a lot was happening. “Our girl kept telling them that they had not coerced her, that she had the papers to prove that they were married. But no one was willing to listen. Bajrang Dal’s men (at the police station) said, ‘You are lying, naatak dikha rahi hai (being dramatic),’ he said. “Hamare bahu ka bachcha khatm hi kar diya (my daughter-in-law’s baby was lost because of all this).”
Bajrang Dal Gaurav Bhatnagar regional coordinator told TOI: “We only told the police (the interreligious marriage), who registered an FIR and sent the woman into custody. Our workers never harmed her or her baby. “Additional SP (rural) Vidya Sagar Mishra from Moradabad said:” The case is under investigation. If a complaint is made that holds someone responsible for a miscarriage, action will be taken. ”
The woman’s mother-in-law also said that the mother of the new bride, on whose complaint the police eventually took action, never wanted to come to Moradabad and file an FIR. “When they called her, she didn’t want to come. He couldn’t afford it. So, a jeep was sent to bring her here. They told me that all three (the woman, her husband and her brother) would be released in the morning. I went to the police station with a bottle of tea in the morning and saw that my children had been arrested and my daughter-in-law had been sent to some shelter. ”
The man and his brother had already been imprisoned. “I was surprised. We were legally married for five months, but the police did not believe us. I am happy that they have found out the truth now,” he said Saturday. “The police treated us well in jail. I was surprised when I found out. of her miscarriage, but there was nothing I could do. Now, I will give her the proper treatment and support her. I also have to find a job. ”
The couple were married in a madrassa in Dehradun on July 24 and came to Kanth to stay with the man’s family. Money was tight after the lockdown and the couple found out they were having a baby. So the woman sold her phone, obtained Rs 5,000 for legal fees and impending expenses, and contacted a lawyer to register her marriage. “We didn’t want to take risks,” the woman, who used to work as an accountant in Dehradun, told TOI.
And they still don’t. So, they are weighing whether to press harassment charges or not. The man’s brother said they do not want any action against anyone and that “they just want to be safe.” The woman added: “I am very grateful that the news organizations have supported us. We will speak with our family before considering any action against anyone. ”
.
