Inter-faith marriage: Woman complaints against her family in UP

Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh), Dec 13 (IANS) A 22-year-old woman, who had eloped and married her Muslim friend, 27, in February, has now sought police protection form her family as she is pregnant.

Her parents had registered an FIR under sections of 'abduction and unlawful conversion'.

The woman told the police that she feels threatened and persecuted by her family. The woman has also requested the police to record her statement in the court and close the case against her husband as she had married the man willingly and embraced Islam.

The woman told reporters, "I married the man of my choice. My parents lodged a fake complaint that I was kidnapped and forced to marry, which is incorrect. I got married on February 22 in Bareilly and I am happy with my husband and want to spend the rest of my life with him."

The woman had filed a petition in the Allahabad High Court for relief and got protection from arrest of her husband and his family members on September 21.

"But my husband's family members are still being harassed by the police and my family. I am pregnant. My husband and in-laws receive threats from my father and brother regularly and we want police protection. I have met the SSP in this regard," she said.

Additional SP (rural) Rajkumar Agarwal said, "The woman's family had alleged that their daughter was sedated, kidnapped, married and converted to Islam. An FIR was registered under sections 363 (abduction) and 366 (abducting a woman to compel her marriage) of IPC and the anti-conversion law at Bhuta police station. Police had to take action as per law and only those who were made accused in the complaint were questioned."

The ASP added that the police later followed the directives of the high court in the matter.

"The woman has now come forward and we have recorded her statement and forwarded an application in court to record her statement under 164 CrPC. We'll take further steps as per the court's order," he said.