UP woman says 'forced to undergo nikah halala', raped by father-in-law; 5 arrested

A woman has alleged she was forced to undergo 'nikah halala' and marry her father-in-law who raped her following which a case was registered against five people, including her husband, police said Sunday.

Under 'nikah halala', a man cannot remarry his former wife unless she marries another man, consummates the marriage, gets a divorce and observes a period of separation period called 'iddat'. Apart from her husband and father-in-law, the others booked include her husband's uncle and two 'unidentified' clerics, a senior police official said.

Bareilly Zone Additional Director General of Police Prem Prakash said the woman, a resident of Moradabad district, got married to a resident of Turtipura under the Nakhasa police station on December 7, 2014.

"The woman alleged that she was thrown out of her in-laws' house on December 25, 2015," he said.

Following which on January 3, 2016, the woman registered a case against her in-laws for harassing her. However, on December 24, 2016, both the sides reached an agreement and she went back to her in-laws' house, Prakash said.

The woman in her complaint said at her in-laws place, her husband, his father, his uncle and two clerics claimed that as she was out of the house, they had a divorce and she have to undergo 'nikah halala'.

The victim claimed that she had objected to nikah halala but the two clerics, brought by her husband's uncle, had said that she will be married to her father-in-law for nikah halala process.

Later, she was locked in a room with her father-in-law who raped her. In the morning, she was given divorce by her father-in-law. After which she was raped by her husband, and she became pregnant, police said quoting the FIR.

After this she went to her maternal home, and gave birth to a boy on October 6, 2017.

The victim also alleged that she had submitted an application in this regard with the district magistrate, following which she and her family were receiving death threats from her husband and a few clerics.

The ADGP said, "A case of gang-rape has been registered against the woman's husband, father-in-law, uncle-in-law and two unknown clerics." "The case was registered on Saturday (September 1), and investigations are underway," the senior police officer said.