In Hope of Justice, A Triple Talaq victim from Saharanpur writes letter to PM Modi

Lucknow, March 29, 2017: Deserted from her husband's betrayal, Shagufta Shah from Saharanpur District in Uttar Pradesh writes an emotional letter to PM Narendra Modi urging him to forbid the ruthless tradition of Islamic divorce better known as triple talaq, reported ANI

Making a reference to recently held assembly elections in UP, she reminded Prime Minister that the reason she voted him was the promise he made to Muslim women for abandoning the practice of triple talaq.
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"Mr Prime minister, it is my humble request to please help this poor and helpless woman. I also request you to ensure that this evil tradition ends so that woman like me and other victims get justice and live a dignified life," she writes in the letter.

The Plight of Shagufta:

When Shafugta, a mother of two-daughters got pregnant for the third time, her in-laws asked her to get an abortion fearing it might be a girl as well. But she refused to budge down to the unreasonable demand and had to bear physical abuse and torture from her husband and in-laws.

"They feared that if I deliver a girl again, she will be a burden," Shagufta said. "When I refused repeatedly, they started torturing me. On March 24, they forcibly tried to take me to the hospital and, when I resisted, they started beating me mercilessly." Failing to bow her down to their tyranny, Shagufta's husband and in-laws threw her out of the house.

"He (Shamshad) verbally gave me triple talaq and I was left on the road to die," she said.

Her Last resort:

While talking to India Today, Shagufta revealed that she approached the local police station the same day she was thrown out. "However, they took my complaint and only assured me that they would look into the matter. They did not register an FIR and chased us away," she said in the report.

"Since then, my brother and my father are getting threatening calls and they (Shamshad and her inlaws) are threatening to kill us."

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Failing to get any help from the police, Shagufta sent a letter to the PM with copies to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, the National Commission for Women as well as the district magistrate and top cop.

Actions Taken in Purview:

The Supreme Court is hearing a batch of petitions opposing triple talaq, after women complained that they had been divorced via Facebook and WhatsApp. However, the All India Muslim Personal Board (AIMPLB) urged the SC on Monday "not to meddle with its personal laws".

Shagufta gathered the courage to report the atrocities she suffered from the part of her in-laws by taking a cue from another case of Saharanpur where a women, Atiya Sabri too had approached the top court, challenging triple talaq given by her husband on a piece of paper. Police arrested her husband and father-in-law this month on dowry harassment charges. They have been sent to judicial custody. Her mother-in-law, also an accused, is absconding.

The triple talaq is a Sharia law practice which allows men to end a marriage simply by saying "talaq" to their wives three times in succession.

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While many Muslim-majority countries such as Pakistan and Indonesia have outlawed the custom for years, India -home to the world's third-largest Muslim population- continues to allow it.

The Constitution allows Muslims to regulate matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance through their own civil code, though members of the community have been clamouring for reforms and a ban on oppressive customs.

The government told the Supreme Court last year that triple talaq violates the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution and said it does not form a part of the "essential religious practices" in Islam.

-prepared by Ashish Srivastava of NewsGram Twitter @PhulRetard

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