Hindu-Muslim marriage held up as families come to blows

KOLKATA - A proposed marriage between a Muslim boy and a Hindu girl could not take place after the two families came to blows inside a marriage registrar’s office here Monday.

Irfan Ali, 30, of Ekbalpore area in south Kolkata had met Anjali Sharma, 27, of Bally in Howrah district four years back in an eye clinic and the two fell in love.

Anjali’s family members objected to the girl continuing with the relationship and even tried to confine her home for the last few weeks.

However, she fled home with Irfan June 3, police said.

The girl’s father, R.K.Sharma, a doctor, lodged a complaint at the Bally police station against Irfan alleging that he had kidnapped Anjali, said the officer in-charge of Bally Police station Shankar Roychowdhury.

When Anjali and Irfan reached the marriage register office Monday, they found Anjali’s family members along with personnel from Bally police station waiting for them.

Anjali told police that she has not been abducted but fled home of her own will. “My family did not want me to marry Irfan. They planned to confine me within the house. So I fled home to marry Irfan,” she said.

Hearing Anjali’s statement and getting evidence that both of them are adults, the police personnel left the spot.

Meanwhile, Anjali’s family members allegedly attacked Irfan’s parents. They grabbed Anjali and beat up Irfan and his parents. The marriage register office was also ransacked.

Anjali, who was allegedly injected a tranquiliser by her family members, fainted on the spot.

Informed about the incident, a police team rushed to the spot, rescued Anjali and admitted her to the state-run SSKM hospital.

Irfan and his father were also rushed to the same hospital, and discharged after treatment.

“My father injected me with tranquiliser. For the past few weeks, they used to inject me with such drugs regularly to damage my memory,” Anjali alleged.

The Sharma family, however, said, Irfan first abducted their daughter and later forced her to marry him.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detective Department) Damayanti Sen said marriage registrar Pratap Kumar Mondal lodged a complaint against the two families for damaging a portion his office and ransacking the furniture.

“No complaint has been lodged by Irfan’s family against the Sharma family,” she said.

“Meanwhile, police has filed a case against the two families based on the complaint,” said Sen.