On August 20, a minor Hindu girl was taken to the police station by Samaritans after they nabbed her with Aman Khan on a bus in Madhya Pradesh. It turned out, that Aman was abducting her for ‘conversion-nikah’ and that she did not want to go with him. The minor and the accused were later taken to the police for help.
A First Information Report (number–553/2023) was registered in this case at the Agar police station of the Agar Malwa district in Madhya Pradesh on August 20.
In her complaint to the police, the 17-year-old victim stated that, back in 2020 during the COVID-19 days, she went to Nani’s house, where she became friends with one Aman Khan. He used to live next door.
Soon they became good friends and exchanged numbers. There had been calls and messages between them. After Aman revealed that he liked her, she distanced herself from him. Within days of this, she returned to her parent’s house in Agar Malwa.
The minor says she got over this, however, on August 20, while she was still in her school she saw, Aman and other boys standing outside her school. When she questioned their whereabouts, Aman asked her to sit in his car. To not create any scene outside her school she sat in the car.
After this, Aman said, he will get married to her. They were dropped at the bus stand from where they were going to Ujjain. However, a Samaritan travelling in the bus heard Aman threatening the minor and hence, informed the local Hindu activists. After this, the duo were recovered at the Dewas Square.
Following the police complaint, the accused Aman was booked under IPC sections 363 (Kidnapping), 366 (Kidnapping a woman to compel marriage), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (act done by several people with common intention).
Similar rescue done in past
In a similar case reported this week, after the protests and intervention made by the members of Bajrang Dal, a Hindu woman was rescued from the clutches of ‘conversion nikah’, often referred to as love jihad, by the mainstream media. The case was reported from the Badwani district of Madhya Pradesh on August 18. The protest started from the Hindu side but soon witnessed retaliation as a mob from the Muslim side started gathering. The matter started turning into a law and order situation, and hence heavy police force was deployed.
Notably, on August 18, members of the Hindu organisation, Bajrang Dal started assembling outside the Badwani Police Station. They were protesting against an illegal ‘conversion nikah’ that was set to take place in the Pala Bazar area of the town. It were the members of the Bajrang Dal who entered the house and bursted the illegal marriage. They rescued the woman and gathered outside the police station, demanding action against the accused Muslim man.
Following this, the police took the accused into custody and began interrogation. The Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) members demanded the accused to be booked under sections of the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act.
As of now, he has been booked under charges of rape and the Anti-Conversion Law. The police said, with further investigations, more charges will be invoked against the accused.
