HC blesses Hindu-Muslim couple

New Delhi: A Hindu girl fell in love with a Muslim boy. Her family did not approve of the match. They eloped and got married.

It was a typically filmy tale, till the Bajrang Dal and RSS intervened and did not let Priyanka and Umar live happily ever after.

The Hindutva organisations staged protests and declared that Priyanka had been kidnapped by Umar. The police then entered the scene and illegally detained Umar's brother Shakeel. He was kept at the Koh-e-Fiza police station in Bhopal.

Later the police denied that they had ever taken Shakeel into custody though his wife Zeba alleges she visited him at the police station.

"My husband was detained by the police ever since Umar eloped with Priyanka and we went to the police station to give him food daily. Then one day he was not at the police station and the police denied ever having kept him in custody," she said.

The police also denied having registered a case of kidnapping against Umar.

Shakeel's family alleges the police were under pressure from saffron organisations, which gheraoed the SP’s office and demanded action against Umar.

However, the police' lie was nailed after a Citizen Journalist managed to enter the lockup and recorded visuals of Shakeel in detention.

Now, after CNN-IBN carried the story, the Bombay High Court intervened and has declared Umar and Priyanka's marriage valid. Shakeel too has been released.

The court has ordered that security be provided to the family in lieu of the threat that they face from the society.

The Jabalpur High Court has too given its blessings to the union.

"I am happy now that my husband has been released from custody. But the days when my husband was detained were difficult. We are still scared. The atmosphere in Bhopal is not safe for us. We need security for our family," says Zeba.

"It's thanks to the efforts of many people, especially CNN-IBN, which brought this matter into light," she adds.

However, the couple in question is not happy at all. They are very angry at everything that has happened so far.

"I request all of you to ask the Chief Minister, the Governor, the Superintendent of Police and the Inspector General that when I informed them that I was not kidnapped, why didn't they believe me? Why was my brother-in-law kept in police custody for five days. I want answers," says an angry Priyanka.

"We got married because we love each other. What happened afterwards was all because of politics," adds Umar.

The two also allege that when Shakeel was released, the police had advised them not to make a statement to the media or to any authority about the matter.

The Madhya Pradesh government is yet to react to Umar and Priyanka's charges.

However, the reaction of the Sindhi community in the area - to which Priyanka belongs - has been adverse to the whole event to say the least.

The community has now said that their daughters will not be allowed to ride two-wheelers or carry mobile phones. In fact, they have said that their daughters will now have to wear head scarfs if they want to leave the security of their homes.

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