Mumbai: Following the Bombay High Court rap for inaction in registering a case and taking action against people who had forcefully taken away a woman from their community to Gujarat as she had an inter-caste marriage, Powai Police arrested all accused in the case on Friday and they were produced before a local magistrate court. Six men have been arrested in the matter, which includes the woman’s alleged second husband, his brother and the sarpanch along with other men, police said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 10) Maheshwar Reddy confirmed the development and said that a case was lodged on Thursday night, wherein all the accused were booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for kidnapping, abducting woman to compel her marriage (section 366), rape (section 376), marriage ceremony fraudulently gone through without lawful marriage (section 496), detaining a married woman with criminal intent (section 498), criminal intimidation (section 506(2)), criminal conspiracy (section 120B) and wrongful confinement (section 344), along with sections of the Information Technology Act.
This action comes a day after Mumbai police commissioner Hemant Nagrale personally assured the Bombay High Court through video conferencing that police would inquire into the lapses with regard to inaction into the violence and death threats faced by a couple following their inter-faith marriage. The top cop’s assurance came following a rap from the court which is hearing a petition by a Mumbai-based couple, who hail from Chaubari village, Bachao taluka in Gujarat, seeking protection.
The woman, 23, belongs to the Ahir community, and the man, 23, is a Brahmin. However, because of caste differences, their marriage didn’t go down well with the woman’s family and their community and the couple were subjected to much suffering. She was taken to the village under the pretext of placating the community, assaulted and married to another man, who raped and tortured her.
After nearly four months, in August, she managed to escape and return to Mumbai and lodged a complaint with the Powai police. All the six accused were produced before a local magistrate court on Friday and were remanded in police custody till November 17, said police.
