Irshad and Aishwarya, Organiser Weekly
Madhya Pradesh government brought the ‘Anti Conversion’ Law in 2021. Ever since the law was enacted, the cases of forced religious conversion have been at an all-time high. Recently, a woman returned to her parents after seven years of elopement.
After returning she claimed the boy she eloped with never married her, but still had two children with her. He forced her to sleep with his brother as well.
The woman is from the Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh and the accused took her to Indore. So far no arrests have been made in this case by the police.
The victim’s family said their daughter returned home only because of the efforts made by the members of Hindu Jagran Manch, Khandwa.
The FIR says she eloped with the man in 2016
A First Information Report (number–151/2023) was registered at the Badgonda police station of the Indore (Dehat) district on April 2.
As per the complaint, the victim, 24-year-old Aishwarya Chouhan a resident of Khalwa village in the Khandwa district told the police that, she met Irshad in 2016.
Irshad lives in the Mahow area of Indore near the SS Allah Building. He used to work as a driver in Khalwa village when they first met. On November 20, 2016, they get married to each other (the marriage was entirely fake, they never get married as per Hindu or Islamic ritual). He took her to Mhow where she gave birth to a boy and a daughter.
Last year, Irshad and his brother Mukeem started forcing her to convert to Islam. They said she come from Chamar Jati and should become a Muslim.
When Aishwarya said she will remain a Hindu only, Irashad passed casteist slurs and intending to hurt her he made physical relations with her against her wishes. When she tried convincing her brother-in-law Mukeem, he too raped her.
Both Irshad and Mukeem said, unless she becomes a Muslim they will keep raping her. They also gave her death threats. She somehow managed to escape and reached Depalpur to get her complaint registered.
Notably, an FIR (number–00/2023) was registered at the Depalpur police station on April 1, 2023.
Irshad is absconding told the police
This correspondent called ASI Krishna Jadaon, Badgonda police on April 9 and she said the accused Mukeem has been arrested by the police, she could not tell the exact date but said, three days after the FIR the accused was arrested.
About Irshad she said, he is absconding and the teams will soon nab him.
The victim has recorded her statement under section 164 of the CrPC in front of the court.
She added, as per both the FIRs the accused Irshad and Mukeem have been booked under IPC sections 376 (rape), 376(2)(h) (punishment for sexual assault), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (acts done by several people with common intention) of the IPC.
Also, section 3(2)(v) of the Prevention of Atrocities Act commonly referred to as the SC-ST Act with section 3/5 of the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act have been imposed.
The victim told Organiser Weekly that Irshad posed as Shakti Chouhan before the marriage
Irshad was a driver and when they first met he introduced himself as Shakti Chouhan, a resident of Dhapochi village near Khalwa. He said he comes from the (Naik) Banjara Jati.
Aishwarya Chouhan comes from the Chamar Jati said, she felt this alliance will work as they both belong to the Dalit community.
They both fell in love and then he took her to Mahow. Aishwarya did not inform her parents about Shakti before elopement.
When she reached Mahow, she found Shakti was Irshad instead. When she said, she wants to go back home, she was not allowed to leave the room.
Asked if he get married to her, she said no. To date, they lived together without marriage. He did not perform the Nikah or court marriage.
From day one he made physical relations with her, and within a year she gave birth to his son. Whenever she asked him to get married to her, he would say, now no one can separate her from him as she is the mother of his son.
Irshad and four of his brothers live together in Mhow, they all are married. One of them has a Hindu wife. His family never accepted Aishwarya because she was a Dalit.
Irshad changed Aishwarya’s name to Aisha Khatun on paper. She has a Pan Card with the name Aisha Khatun on it, the card had a fake name of her father. She says a cleric was invited for the change of his name.
Even after changing her name, she never adhered to Islamic rituals, she would not offer namaz, recite kalma or other religious practices observed by family members.
This angered the other family members they would not treat her well, they never ate food cooked by her saying she is a Dalit. They said, they were Qureshi’s and they do not eat grass and leaves, these are for animals. They only ate non-vegetarian food including cow’s meat.
She was never allowed to worship Hindu deities. She says, if she was ever taken out of the house she will have to wear a burqa, which has a net covering the eyes.
After giving birth to the first child they forced her to accept Islam, read Urdu, recite verses of the Quran Sharif and follow Islamic practices.
Irshad circumcised his son at a camp organised in December 2017. Aishwarya says, she declined but they did not listen to her and took the son with them for the Khatna process.
In the last one year, they became more strict and forced her to accept Islam and become a Muslim. When Aishwarya refused to do this, Irshad and his elder brother raped her against her wishes.
They said this was her punishment.
Irshad would bring his elder brother and sit out of the room so that he can rape Aishwarya.
Irshad made physical relations with her even during pregnancy. He does not stop even in the ninth month saying, “What will happen, the child will die, let him die it’s my child. I will make another one”.
He said, no matter what when he wants he will have sex with her. She was his wife and she cannot refuse to his demands.
He would beat the children as well.
He would use abusive language and references to Hindu gods and goddesses. He said Hindus are fools who worship every stone and then throw them into the water. They are not gods.
There is only one god Allah, ‘we have not even seen him such is the magic of Allah’ he said. Those who will worship Allah will go to Jannat.
He would tell Aishwarya that she is a child of Kuffar and is a Kafir. He would call her ‘Bhangi’.
When his torture intensified she managed to escape from his place. It was in the wee hours when all of them were sleeping, she get out of his house with the children.
Aishwarya is currently living with her parents and wants to work so that she can give a better life to her children. She says, she will change their names and will make them Hindu.
The role of Hindu Activists
Aishwarya who eloped with Irshad in 2016 would have never returned home without the support of the Hindu activists, in this case, the Hindu Jagran Manch (HJM).
While speaking with Organiser Weekly, the HJM Khandwa head Dr. Anish Arjhare said, “In 2022, the police tracked Aishwarya and Irshad down. By then she gave birth to a child. When presented before the court she said, she will live with Irshad only”.
But the members knew things were not going well in her life. Last month when she came out of Irshad’s house, the first person she contacted was a member of this organisation. They have been fighting the real battle on the ground against what these activists say ‘Love Jihad’.
Dr. Arjhare has been fighting these cases for the past twenty years now, he says the Anti Conversion law only works after the victim reaches the police, sometimes the police themselves remain in denial mode.
It is when they make sure every victim of forced religious conversion gets justice, even if it means calling for protest marches or dharna or anything needed. They provide shelter to these victims and make sure the culprits get punished.
Watch Dr. Arjhare’s statement in media:
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