In Farkiya Panchayat under Baunsi Police Station of Taniganj in Araria district, an incident of forced conversion of a widow has come to light. A middle-aged Muslim married man and a Hindu widow were tied with a rope and could be seen beaten with a stick by the villagers in a viral video. They were accused of having an illicit affair. The woman was then fed beef forcefully against her will, converted to Islam and married off to the Muslim man before being cast away from the village.
The video of the crime went viral on social media. The middle-aged man has been identified as one Akbar. The incident happened on the 13th of September. According to reports, when Akbar went to his paddy field, several villagers took him to the woman’s house on some pretext and tied them there. The woman was fed beef and bones by the violent mob. All of this was done under the leadership of the Sarpanch, Mohammed Aslam. Now a concerted effort is being made to hush up the incident.
More than a dozen villagers participated in this atrocity. The father of the victim woman, Shyamlal, has registered a complaint against Mohammed Aslam, and 15 other villagers. He has alleged that his daughter and the man were dragged out of their homes and physically assaulted. Then, they were married off.
The father was forced to pay Rs. 50,000 as a penalty to rescue the pair. He did it so by mortgaging his farm. The two have been missing ever since the incident and a search is on to find them. The Police have said they have initiated an investigation into the matter. The Sarpanch meanwhile has admitted to the crime but has denied accepting money as a penalty.
