The victim woman (Image Source: X)
A Sikh woman from Anjar, Kutch, has accused a Muslim youth from Jamnagar of impregnating her under the false promise of marriage, only to abandon her later. She also alleges that he subjected her to physical and mental torture, and forced her to convert to Islam. The First Information Report was filed after she lodged a complaint at the Anjar police station, and an investigation is currently underway. The accused has been identified as Hussain Baloch.
According to her complaint, the woman was introduced to the Muslim man by a known Muslim couple, following which he promised to marry her. She moved to live with him along with her son at his residence. However, he forced her to undergo two abortions and later subjected her to torture at his home. A video of her recounting her experience went viral on social media.
The victim, originally from Punjab’s Hoshiarpur, has been residing in Gujarat. She is a divorcee with a 10-year-old son from her previous marriage, which ended due to disagreements. She and her son lived together alone. Her brother is involved in the construction business, building and selling houses, while she used to put them on rent.
A Muslim couple named Sameer and his wife rented one of these houses in June 2021, where she would often visit to collect rent. They reportedly pressured her to get married within the Muslim community, but she was not ready. A few months later, in September, Sameer summoned her, claiming that his nephew Hussain, a native of Jamnagar, wanted to meet her. She initially refused but eventually gave in to the persuasion and met the Muslim youth.
She revealed that she was told to get married at his house, but she declined the proposal citing religious differences and returned. However, after a few days, Hussain contacted her and started talking to her, expressing his desire to start a romantic relationship. Despite her rejection, he persisted and even sent her his pictures and called her repeatedly, eventually convincing her to marry him. According to the complaint, the woman succumbed to his pressure and traveled to Jamnagar in November 2021, where she spent the night at his house and was subjected to sexual intercourse against her will.
She stayed at Hussain’s house for two days and returned to her place. Later, she discussed the marriage proposal with her family, who strongly opposed it and warned that they would sever all ties with her if she married the perpetrator. Despite their opposition, she took her son and went to his place, only to be shocked when he claimed that the Nikah (Islamic wedding ceremony) could not take place until she converted to Islam, as they belonged to different religions.
An argument ensued between the couple after she refused to comply. In the meantime, she, her son, and Hussain had already started living in a new rented house in Jamnagar. However, he continued to pressure her to change her religion there, according to the complaint. She highlighted that the accused was also directing her son to offer namaz and would beat him when he resisted. He also fought with her and beat her brutally. Meanwhile, Hussain’s father, Akbar, was supposed to come to live with them, and they found a new house and shifted there.
The woman stated that she became pregnant, and Hussain gave her medicines to abort the baby. She then conceived again and he did the same. Afterwards, Hussain, his brother Feroze, and his wife brought her to the hospital after she became pregnant for the third time to discuss abortion, but she refused and returned home. She also accused Akbar of molesting her in the complaint, along with the physical and psychological abuse she endured at the hands of Hussain. He beat her whenever she brought up the topic of marriage and ordered her to kill the baby in her womb first.
Distraught, she eventually moved back to her home and threatened to file a police complaint, after which he came to live with her. Meanwhile, she gave birth to a son in July of the previous year. She once more brought up marriage, and he retorted, “You didn’t listen to me and didn’t get an abortion,” before leaving her. She also spoke to her family, but even they didn’t support her, so she filed a complaint on May 9th.
She voiced that Hussain’s family beat, tortured, and threatened to kill her if she notified the authorities. She also mentioned that he had extorted 9-10 lakh from her. She even alleged that he had seduced other Hindu girls as well.
In a swift response to the victim’s harrowing ordeal, the Anjar police have initiated legal action against a total of six individuals implicated in the case. Among those named in the filed cases are Hussain, his brother, and father, as well as Sameer and his wife, and Feroze. The charges pressed against them span a spectrum of serious offences, including but not limited to Sections 376(2)(n) (pertaining to rape), 328 (causing hurt by means of poison), 354 (outraging the modesty of a woman), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), and 114 (abetment to commit the offence) of the Indian Penal Code, along with Section 83 of the Juvenile Justice Act.
News of the incident has garnered significant attention, prompting Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghvi, to intervene. Taking cognisance of the gravity of the situation, Sanghvi has directed the transfer of the case to the Local Crime Branch (LCB) for further investigation. With the wheels of justice set in motion, the police are currently engaged in probing the depths of this disturbing affair, leaving no stone unturned in their pursuit of truth and accountability.
Leave a Comment