A 19-year-old woman, Mariam Shareef, from Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, has filed a complaint alleging that her husband, Arshad, issued her a ‘triple talaq’ after she expressed admiration for the BJP-led government at the state and national levels. Mariam claims her husband’s anger stemmed from her praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, specifically regarding their work on the development of Ayodhya.
This incident unfolded during a visit to Ayodhya with her husband, where Mariam openly shared her appreciation for the city’s transformation. This, she alleges, sparked her husband’s rage, leading to a series of actions. First, Arshad sent Mariam back to her parents’ home, followed by a divorce pronouncement, and allegedly culminated in the throwing of hot lentils at her. Mariam further claims that the physical abuse extended beyond her husband, as her mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and other in-laws also participated in the violence. She states, “I said that Yogiji and Modiji had done a wonderful job. My husband and my in-laws did not like it. They abused me and beat me up.”
The situation escalated on August 5th when Arshad allegedly pronounced ‘triple talaq’ upon Mariam. She further claims that her mother-in-law and brother-in-law joined the abuse, hitting her while her husband attempted to strangle her. “On Aug 5, he began abusing the CM and the PM. He then pronounced ‘talaq’ three times. When I reacted in shock, my mother-in-law and brother-in-law intervened and hit me, while my husband attempted to strangle me. He then threw a vessel of hot dal on me,” Mariam stated.
Following the alleged incident, Mariam lodged an online complaint through the integrated grievance redressal services portal and wrote to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on August 18, 2024. Based on Mariam’s complaint, an FIR was registered against Arshad, his two brothers-in-law Farhan and Shafaf, sister-in-law Simran, mother-in-law Raisa, father-in-law Islam, his sister Kulsum, and a relative. All the accused individuals have been arrested and sent to jail, confirmed Vrinda Shukla, Bahraich’s superintendent of police, to the Times of India.
