On Wednesday, 18th December, a widow in Basaha Mafi village, located in the Phoolbehad police station area of Lakhimpur Kheri, put up a poster to sell her house. Reportedly, the woman was fed up of harassment from members of the Muslim community. “Muslimo se pareshan hokar ghar chodna chahte hai. Makan bikau hai (Fed up of Muslim harassment, we intend to sell this house),” the poster read.
The woman said that her elder daughter, who has been a target of love jihad, is struggling to get justice and in the meantime, she is now receiving threats that her younger daughter might also be targeted in a similar incident.
The woman revealed that her younger daughter had once faced an obscene incident after which a complaint was registered against the perpetrators under the POCSO act. “However, no action has been taken against the accused persons who continue to roam freely in the village and continue to threaten us,” she claimed.
Notably, the police said that it had arrested 3 persons in the case.
As per the reports, the woman says that she is unable to step outside her home due to fear, as the accused belongs to the Muslim community and is a history-sheeter. “Despite repeated visits to the police station and the Superintendent of Police’s office, no substantial action has been taken against the accused,” the woman said accusing the police of inaction, leaving her vulnerable to mental and physical harassment by powerful Islamist individuals.
The woman explained that her village has a dominant Muslim population and that hers is the only family who is Hindu. Following her husband’s death, she and her daughters started facing increasing harassment at the hands of Muslims. The woman, while talking about the incident to the media, accused Imran, the grandson of former village head Bhure, and his associates, of regularly harassing her daughters. She also said that Imran had abducted her elder daughter twice before, prompting her to file missing person reports.
As per the lady, on October 4th, 2024, her daughters were alone at home. During this time, Imran and another youth named Irshad broke into her house, created chaos, stole Rs 35,000 in cash and jewelry, and kidnapped her elder daughter. They are also believed to have sexually assaulted her younger daughter. “While the police have registered a case, no concrete steps have yet been taken against the perpetrators,” the woman said.
Taking cognizance of the event, Kheri police commented on the matter and said that 3 persons in the case had been arrested. The police also said that an FIR in the case under relevant sections of the law has been filed.
संदर्भित प्रकरण में थाना फूलबेहड़ पर सुसंगत धाराओं में अभियोग पंजीकृत है। पुलिस द्वारा नामजद 03 नफर अभियुक्तों को गिरफ्तार कर लिया गया है। अग्रिम विधिक कार्यवाही प्रचलित है।
— KHERI POLICE (@kheripolice) December 19, 2024
The woman continues to express anger over the incident, stating that despite repeated assurances from law enforcement agencies, she is constantly receiving threats that her younger daughter might also get kidnapped. Feeling helpless and unsafe, the woman now has decided to sell her house.
