Muslims in Shivpuri village of the district are fearful and are fleeing their houses.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – Authorities bulldozed six homes of a Muslim family in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad district following allegations of firing over interfaith relationship.
On Friday, the bulldozer action was initiated after family members of a 20-year-old Hindu woman accused the Muslim family of attempt to abduct her. On 26 June, a scuffle broke out between the two families resulting in the use of firearms in which father, mother and brother of the woman were wounded.
Following the incident, Muslims in Shivpuri village of the district are fearful and are fleeing their houses.
“We did not see that family after that March incident where it was alleged that he abducted the woman from her husband’s home. His whole family left. Because of one person, the whole community is ashamed. It was a peaceful atmosphere here before, but everything is ruined now. The bulldozers came twice and demolished the homs,” local resident Dilshad was quoted by Indian Express as saying.
Family members of the woman alleged that the firing incident was an attempt to abduct her while she was reportedly involved in consensual relationship with a Muslim youth and they had planned to elope on 26 June.
According to reports, the couple was in relationship for quite some time. In May last year, they got married legally. The documents of the marriage are also available. However, the family of the woman opposed the marriage and married her off to another man in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal in June last year. Even after this marriage, the couple kept seeing each other and eloped to Rajasthan in March this year. At that time, the family of the woman had filed a complaint.
When the couple was brought back by the police in April, the woman had said that she had gone with the man willingly. “My parents got me married forcefully without my will. I did not agree to this marriage. I went with…of my village. Who is my friend. No one had taken me by coaxing, I was of my own free will. I am an adult, no wrong has been done to me, now I want to go with my parents of my own will, this is my statement and I have nothing to say,” said the woman before the police in Sambhal on 11 April.
However, the next day the woman made a contradictory statement before a magistrate. She accused the man of forcefully taking her away, asking to change religion and forcing himself on her.
Now, she does not want to go with the man and want to see him behind bars due to the firing incident.
“He has gone crazy now and I want to see him behind the bars as soon as possible. There was love but that has ended now. He should have understood that I’m a married woman and what he did with my family is completely unacceptable,” she was quoted by Indian Express as saying.
