Christian woman accuses husband of detaining her in Islam theological centre

KOCHI: Rekindling the allegations of love jihad, a 20-year-old Christian woman has come out against her husband and his family members for allegedly detaining her in an Islam theological centre at Ponnani for 40 days to make her convert to Islam.

The incident came to light when the woman complained to the Pothanikad police station against the husband Aslam, 33, of Kothamangalam, and his family members charging them with dowry harassment, wrongful confinement, and insulting modesty of a woman. The police registered a case on December 7, 2021, based on her complaint. 

Though the husband and his family members moved the sessions court here seeking anticipatory bail to avoid arrest in the incident submitting that they were falsely implicated in the case, the court on January 10 rejected the husband’s plea while granting bail to family members. As per the FIR, the woman was forcibly taken to the centre at Ponnani and was detained there for over 40 days without allowing her to go outside or contact others. The woman also submitted that when she escaped and reached her husband’s house, she was subjected to mental and physical torture.

“A probe is on. A preliminary report was filed in the court when the anticipatory bail was taken up for hearing. The woman has raised a lot of allegations against the family” said a senior police officer. 
Police said the two, who were in love, got married at the Pothanikkad sub-registrar’s office on November 11, 2019, based on the assurance that both of them could live together following their own religious beliefs. 

“The prosecution records would clearly reveal the diabolic physical, mental and emotional torture of the complainant at the instance of the accused right from the very inception of her marriage with him. It is seen that the complainant was subjected to deplorable sexual harassment by the accused,” observed Additional Sessions Judge G Girish in the order. 

“The allegation levelled by the complainant that the accused used to share his bedroom scenes with the complainant to his friends is a sort of extreme emotional torture which no wife could bear. In addition to that, the allegation against the accused that he coerced the complainant to abdicate her religious beliefs and to embrace another religion, would reveal that the complainant had to suffer mental torture of severe nature,” the judge observed.