Muslim Woman Allegedly Brutally Beaten By Relatives For Interfaith Marriage To Hindu Man

A 20-year-old Muslim woman in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh was allegedly abused by her relatives after she married a 28-year-old man in their village who was from another religion, authorities revealed Tuesday.

The unnamed woman, who was reportedly an orphan that lived with her grandmother in the village of Barabanki, was allegedly beaten up, had her head shaved and then forced to walk through the streets by her relatives over her interfaith marriage to a Hindu man, the India Today reported, citing police. The age of the husband and the date of the wedding varied between sources.

"As per my wishes, I got married to a youth from my village at a temple. On Monday, my uncles called me home and with other family members beat me up with shoes, slippers and sticks. Initially, they chopped my hair and then shaved my entire head. They also confined me at their home and threatened to kill me," the woman's police complaint was quoted by The Indian Express, as saying.

The couple reportedly had been in a relationship for a long time before getting married, as per the India Today. After hearing of their wedding, the woman's family allegedly forcibly took her away from her husband’s house while he was at work before punishing her.

Police said a total of eight family members, including three women, were booked Monday night over the incident.

"The woman's two uncles and a cousin have been arrested. The other five accused are absconding. We are conducting searches for the other accused," Barabanki police superintendent Yamuna Prasad said.

The accused family members were booked for rioting, voluntarily causing hurt, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace, criminal intimidation, assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty, assault or criminal force with intent to dishonor a person, disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant, negligent act likely to spread infection of disease to life, and malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life.

The Epidemic Disease Act as well as the Criminal Act Law have been invoked against the accused.

Barabanki District Magistrate Adarsh Singh said the administration was checking if the husband and wife were eligible for any compensation.

"If they are eligible as per the state government and Center's rules, we will offer them compensation," Singh said.