National Commission for Women (NCW) Chairperson Rekha Sharma wrote to the UP director general of police (DGP) to take stringent action against a person and his family members for beating and throwing the former's wife out of her matrimonial house for voting for a political party of her choice.
The NCW move comes in the backdrop of several media reporting that a married Muslim woman from Bareilly (UP) was beaten by her husband and thrown out of her matrimonial house for voting for a political party not of her husband's choice.
The victim's husband also threatened to give her 'triple talaq’ (divorce) for her 'temerity'.
Taking cognisance of the incident, the NCW sought registration of an FIR under relevant provisions of the law.
"The action taken in the matter must be apprised to the commission within seven days," the NCW said in its statement issued on Monday. A copy of the letter has also been sent to the senior superintendent of police (SSP) of Bareilly.
Uzma and her husband Taslim Ansari live in a rented house in Ejajnagar, Gauntia and she told reporters in Bareilly that she voted for the Bharatiya Janata Party as the Narendra Modi government had legally banned triple talaq.
Uzma told reporters that she belonged to a poor household, had four sisters and her father was a labourer. She appreciated the BJP government for distributing groceries and other essentials twice a month. She said that she had a love marriage about a year back.
Recalling the day on which the incident took place, Uzma said Taslim was talking about the fact that Yogi Adityanath would again lead the government in Uttar Pradesh. At this, she told Taslim that she too had voted for Yogiji which incensed him and he threatened her with triple talaq and challenged her to seek government's help to save herself. At this, Taslim's uncle Tayeb too asked him to punish her by divorcing her.
Uzma alleged that Tayeb had earlier asked her to vote for Samajwadi Party (SP). When Uzma told her in-laws that she would raise her voice against the injustice meted out to her, the husband's kin allegedly threatened to harm her siblings.
After registering a case at Baradari police station, the police have started an investigation into the matter.
The Union government had passed The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights in Marriage) Act, 2019, declaring instant divorce given by pronouncement of talaq three times as void and illegal. It provides for imprisonment for a term up to three years and fine to the husband who practices instant triple talaq.