A tribal girl Sapna Dongri was 16 years and eight months old when 25-year-old Usman Ali abducted her from the Khandwa District of Madhya Pradesh. He took her to Hyderabad and then Nagpur where he got her converted to Islam. All of this happened in 2021.
Almost after two years, Sapna returned home with the help of the Madhya Pradesh police. The members of Hindu Jagran Manch have also been there with the family since the beginning.
Sapna is now a major and is living with her parents. A lot has happened in the past two years with her, she is traumatised and needs care.
Sapna belongs to the Bhil jati, the same jati as Tantiya Bhil (called Tantiya Mama in Madhya Pradesh) who actively participated in the Indian freedom struggle and is referred to as the Indian, ‘Robinhood’.
The First Information Report was registered in 2021
A First Information Report (number–166/2021) was registered at the Jawar police station of the Khandwa district on July 2, 2021, by Sapna’s father 45-year-old Gokul Dongri.
In his complaint, Gokul told the police that, on July 30, 2021, his daughter Sapna went missing. They were all sleeping at night and when he woke up he found Sapna was not in her bed, they searched for her in the colony but to no avail.
Later a case was registered against an unidentified accused under section 363 (abduction) of the Indian Penal Code.
Sapna was recovered from Nagpur
The investigating officer of the case, Shivram Jat told Organiser Weekly that, soon after the complaint was registered in July 2021, they began investigations and found a boy named Usman has abducted the girl.
Soon they tracked the girl in Hyderabad and a team went there to nab the accused however, they managed to escape.
The next time they get a tip-off that the couple was living in this village near Nagpur. Soon the teams reached Nagpur where they tracked the girl with the boy and brought her home.
He said the girl recovered from Nagpur on March 26, 2023, and after the recovery, she underwent a detailed medical test. She recorded her statement in front of the magistrate under section 164 of the CrPC on March 29.
Officer Jat added that after the statement by the victim sections 368 (wrongfully confining), 366 (kidnapping), 376 (rape), and 376(2)(n) (repeated rape) were added.
Also, sections 5 and 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offense (POCSO) Act with sections 3(v) and 2 of the SC-ST Act and section 5 of the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act have been imposed.
Dalits are not allowed to take out their wedding processions in the village
This correspondent spoke with Gokul Dongri on April 2 when his daughter moved to her uncle’s place in Khandwa.
Gokul lives in the Benpura village of Khandwa with his family which includes four children, two daughters and two sons. He and his wife Pramila Bai work as labourers in the fields. His daughters including Sapna and the younger one went to a government school located almost five kilometres from where they live.
Sapna when abducted by Usman was studying in class 10, Usman went to the college and lives in the next lane of their colony.
He said after he registered a missing persons report and the police tracked down that it was Usman who abducted Sapna, his family members came to his house to threaten them. They said, if he will not take his complaint back they will take his younger daughter with them.
About the demography of the village he lives in he says, there are almost 50 houses that belong to the tribal people and the rest almost 70 families are Muslims. The lanes they live in are separate, and Dalits are not allowed to pass by the Mosque or take out any religious processions.
“We are restricted to this lane only Mam”, said Gokul.
He said ‘Ram Navami has just passed and we were not even allowed to put a flag in front of our houses, forget about any procession. We are not allowed to take the idols for immersion in Navaratri’.
About his daughter, he said, “She told me that Usman first took her to Hyderabad at his brother-in-law’s place and kept me there after that as soon as they were informed that the police is coming he took me to a village in Nagpur”.
At Nagpur he brought Quran for her and got her converted to Islam, he gave her three ‘Tabiz’ and asked her to wear a burqa and hijab at their house. Usman started working at a fruit shop and kept Sapna at a rented place.
About ‘Nikah’ he said, she did not tell much but she was totally convinced about living with him.
He raped her as well.
Upon recovery, Gokul organised a puja and removed all the Tabiz she was wearing, now she is getting normal, told Gokul.
Gokul says, “I will marry my daughter in Hindu Samaj only as he here she will take the name of Ram. I thank the Hindu Jagran Manch and the MP Police for bringing my daughter from the clutches of that Muslim who would have sold her off”.
The district head of the Hindu Jagran Manch, Anish Arjhare told Organiser Weekly that the region of Khalwa and interior villagers of Khandwa which are home to many tribes are becoming the target of the rapid conversion.
A number of girls have been taken away by Islamists for conversion, and he has been working in the field to make sure no Hindu daughter becomes prey to “Love–Jihad”, added Arjhare.
Gokul told this correspondent that, before Sapna, two women from their community were abducted by Muslims. They wear Burqa, offer Namaz and have seven or eight children.
“I don’t my daughter to meet the same fate’ he added.
Gokul says, he had to cross the house of the accused to go to his field. After the case and their threat, he never goes the field alone fearing an attack by Usman’s family.
He added, “Usman will do this again if he comes out on bail”.
