Days after a man and a woman traveling to Jaipur were forcibly taken off a train and taken to railway police at Ujjain station, allegedly by Hiundutva activists who accused the man of trying to convert her, Indore police in Madhya Pradesh have booked and arrested the man on charges of forceful religious conversion and extortion based on a written application by the woman.
Asif Shaikh’s arrest comes 10 days after he and a woman, identified as Shakshi Jain (25). were forcibly taken off train, and he was dragged to the railway police at Ujjain railway station.
Superintendent of Police , Ujjain GRP, Nivedita Gupta had then said the two were let go after their parents were called in and it was learnt they were family friends. “They were two consenting adults and there was no crime, (so) they were let go,” Gupta had told The Indian Express.
In another video of the incident from inside the railway police station, the woman was seen shouting at the men who had brought them to police – she purportedlty said, “Your one misunderstanding will spoil my life. I work as a teacher…”
On January 24, a fresh FIR was registered against Asif at Mhow police station in Indore on charges of extortion and attempt to forcefully convert. According to station in-charge Arun Solanki, the FIR was registered based on a written application by Jain that day stating Asif is her husband’s friend and had allegedly clicked objectionable photographs and was using them to blackmail her and demanding money. She also alleged that Asif is using these pictures to allegedly pressure her into marrying him, Solanki said.
Solanki said Jain’s statement was recorded before the magisterate while Asif was issued a notice — he came to the police station and was then sent to jail.
This story first appeared on indianexpress.com