An Indian love story between Muslim, Hindu ends in murder
Naseem was shot dead by Pinki's family two years after their marriage
Pinki [Ayesha] with her son in Muzaffarnagar. PHOTO: THE INDIAN EXPRESS
In the summer of 2015, a Muslim boy and a Hindu girl relocated to a new town to get married against the wishes of their families – two years later, the man was murdered by his in-laws.
Last month, Naseem Khan and Pinki Kumari returned to Muzaffarnagar to celebrate Eid. On Monday, the 22-year-old was returning home with a birthday cake for their one-year-old child when he was attacked by his in-laws, shot twice in the stomach and forehead. He died minutes after the incident.
‘Isn’t this our country?’: Muslims in India feel alienated
Naseem’s cousin, Nazar Mohammad, who claims to be with the victim at the time of the attack said: “At around 1:10 pm, a man who was hiding in the sugarcane fields attacked Naseem with a stick… Three others rushed to the road and threw a cycle to stop Naseem’s motorcycle. They beat him up first. When a crowd started gathering, they fired at least three-four shots at him. They were coming towards us, but when they saw that people had gathered, they fled from the spot."
“It’s been barely two years since they got married. It was a court marriage. There were no ceremonies,” Nazar said.
“We studied in the same school. A few years ago, my parents came to know about us,” Pinki recalls, who changed her name to Ayesha after converting to Islam after the marriage. “They locked me in the house and my brother beat me up. They wanted me to marry someone else.”
Left with no choice, the couple fled to Visakhapatnam. “Initially, my parents and brothers used to threaten my in-laws. They would send messages through other villagers. We celebrated all the festivals away from home,” said the 18-year-old.
The tipping point for Indian Muslims is not too far away
However, the threats stopped as time progressed, prompting Naseem and Pinki to come back. “We arrived here a day before Eid, on June 25. We were supposed to return to Visakhapatnam within a few days. But we decided to celebrate our son’s first birthday here, so we extended our stay. We would have left for Visakhapatnam today,” said Pinki.
Soon after Pinki got the news of her husband’s death, she called her brother. “I asked him why he had killed my husband. It was not my husband’s fault. I had run away from my parent’s house. I asked him how could he not think of my one-year-old son while killing my husband. My brother said he would kill me and my son… I want them behind bars. How can the police not find them? They must be at some relative’s house or hiding in the fields,” she said.
Her parent’s house remains locked since Monday. Residents of Bhokerhedi area of Muzaffarnagar district say this was a rare incident. “Even during the Muzaffarnagar riots, this area was not affected by communal tension,” a resident, Atiq Khan said.
An FIR was lodged at the Bhopa police station under IPC sections related to murder and riots against Pinki’s father, Rajesh, brother Pradeep, cousin Sonu and a relative Nitu.
“The FIR has been registered on the basis of the complaint filed by Naseem’s cousin against four persons. The accused are absconding but we are conducting raids and they will be nabbed soon. A post-mortem has been conducted and the body has been returned to the family,” said Muzaffarnagar SP Ajay Kumar Sahdev.
This article originally appeared on The Indian Express.
Last month, Naseem Khan and Pinki Kumari returned to Muzaffarnagar to celebrate Eid. On Monday, the 22-year-old was returning home with a birthday cake for their one-year-old child when he was attacked by his in-laws, shot twice in the stomach and forehead. He died minutes after the incident.
‘Isn’t this our country?’: Muslims in India feel alienated
Naseem’s cousin, Nazar Mohammad, who claims to be with the victim at the time of the attack said: “At around 1:10 pm, a man who was hiding in the sugarcane fields attacked Naseem with a stick… Three others rushed to the road and threw a cycle to stop Naseem’s motorcycle. They beat him up first. When a crowd started gathering, they fired at least three-four shots at him. They were coming towards us, but when they saw that people had gathered, they fled from the spot."
“It’s been barely two years since they got married. It was a court marriage. There were no ceremonies,” Nazar said.
“We studied in the same school. A few years ago, my parents came to know about us,” Pinki recalls, who changed her name to Ayesha after converting to Islam after the marriage. “They locked me in the house and my brother beat me up. They wanted me to marry someone else.”
Left with no choice, the couple fled to Visakhapatnam. “Initially, my parents and brothers used to threaten my in-laws. They would send messages through other villagers. We celebrated all the festivals away from home,” said the 18-year-old.
The tipping point for Indian Muslims is not too far away
However, the threats stopped as time progressed, prompting Naseem and Pinki to come back. “We arrived here a day before Eid, on June 25. We were supposed to return to Visakhapatnam within a few days. But we decided to celebrate our son’s first birthday here, so we extended our stay. We would have left for Visakhapatnam today,” said Pinki.
Soon after Pinki got the news of her husband’s death, she called her brother. “I asked him why he had killed my husband. It was not my husband’s fault. I had run away from my parent’s house. I asked him how could he not think of my one-year-old son while killing my husband. My brother said he would kill me and my son… I want them behind bars. How can the police not find them? They must be at some relative’s house or hiding in the fields,” she said.
Her parent’s house remains locked since Monday. Residents of Bhokerhedi area of Muzaffarnagar district say this was a rare incident. “Even during the Muzaffarnagar riots, this area was not affected by communal tension,” a resident, Atiq Khan said.
An FIR was lodged at the Bhopa police station under IPC sections related to murder and riots against Pinki’s father, Rajesh, brother Pradeep, cousin Sonu and a relative Nitu.
“The FIR has been registered on the basis of the complaint filed by Naseem’s cousin against four persons. The accused are absconding but we are conducting raids and they will be nabbed soon. A post-mortem has been conducted and the body has been returned to the family,” said Muzaffarnagar SP Ajay Kumar Sahdev.
This article originally appeared on The Indian Express.