Bhopal resident gives wife triple talaq on moving train, flees
Police are on the lookout for a man from Bhopal who reportedly beat up his wife before giving her triple talaq on a moving train and then fleeing. Mohammad Arshad (28) and his wife Afsana had boarded the train from Pukhrayan in Kanpur Dehat, but when it approached the Jhansi station, Arshad gave her triple talaq and got off the train. Afsana, shocked by the unexpected turn of events, alerted the Government Railway Police.
Background details of the couple and unfolding harassment
Arshad, a computer engineer working for a private firm in Bhopal, married Afsana, a graduate from Kota in Rajasthan, on January 12 this year. Their match was made through a matrimonial advertisement. However, during a visit to Arshad's ancestral home in Pukhrayan last week, Afsana discovered that Arshad was already married. Upon confronting him about this revelation, Arshad and his mother allegedly began to harass Afsana for dowry.
Afsana appeals for help, case registered against Arshad
The harassment continued until April 29, when Arshad pronounced the triple talaq on the train. Afsana has now made a public appeal to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for help and action against people who divorce women and abandon them. Circle Officer Priya Singh confirmed that based on Afsana's complaint, a case has been registered against Arshad, his maternal uncle Aqeel, father Nafeesul Hasan, and mother Parveen. "The matter will be investigated, and action will be taken," Singh stated.
Parliament declared practice of triple talaq illegal in 2019
On July 30, 2019, Parliament declared the practice of triple talaq illegal and unconstitutional, making it punishable beginning August 1, 2019. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act of 2019 mandated penalties on husbands found guilty of triple talaq, including imprisonment for up to three years. Triple talaq allows a husband to divorce his wife by saying the word "talaq" (divorce) three times in any form, including an email or text message.
