UP ‘Love Jihad’: Woman goes with man’s family after telling the court she is major

Pinki, who was taken to a shelter home in Moradabad by the Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday after arresting the man she was with under the anti-conversion law passed last month, returned to his home on Monday.

Pinki, who is three months pregnant, was permitted to leave after she told the magistrate that she was 22 and had married Rashid Ali, 22 in July, and wanted to be with his family.

Pinki told the reporters that the two of them were going to get their marriage registered when the police caught them. Rashid’s elder brother Saleem, 25, who had accompanied them, was also arrested.

The police said that they were acting on a complaint by Pinki’s mother, who claims that Rashid had forcibly converted and married her daughter. The police also said that Pinki had no proof of her marriage.

Additional Superintendent of Police, Moradabad, Vidya Sagar Mishra said, “The girl in her statement before the magistrate said that she was born in 1998 and that she and Rashid held a nikah on July 24 in Dehradun.” He added that Pinki said she had converted and wanted to return to Rashid’s family.

Reports stating earlier that Pinki had suffered a miscarriage was denied by officials. Dr Nirmala Pathak, Acting Chief Medical Superintendent of Moradabad Mahila District Hospital, where Pinki was examined, said the fetus could be seen clearly in her ultrasound report and seemed to be fine. Dr Pathak said, “We have decided to go in for a Transvaginal Ultrasound Scan to get a more accurate condition of the fetus.”

Pinki had complained of pain in the abdomen soon after she was brought to the shelter home in Moradabad. She was then admitted to Mahila District Hospital. After being discharged on Sunday morning, she again complained of pain in the afternoon and was taken back to the hospital. On Monday, the hearing had to be delayed as she complained of uneasiness. After the check-up, she was brought to court in the afternoon to record her statement.

Rashid and Saleem continue to be detained under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020. Meanwhile, the Moradabad police said they would seek legal advice to decide what to do further with the case, keeping in mind Pinki’s statement that she was a major and the wedding took place before the new law was passed. The police also said that they would also take into account if the conversion followed “legal procedures” or not.

“All details, including Pinki’s claim of nikah and conversion, would be verified. Documents related to the claim would be checked. The police will also get a statement of the girl’s family members and others,” said Prabhakar Chaudhary, Senior Superintendent of Police, Moradabad.