“Divorced Woman Embraces Hinduism Amidst Pressure for ‘Halala’

A woman in Mawana, Meerut, was divorced by her husband. After that, when the topic of remarriage came up, pressure was exerted on her for ‘halala.’ As a result, the woman embraced Hinduism.

On Thursday, a woman visited the police station in Hapur along with activists from a Hindu organization and filed a written complaint. The woman alleges that she embraced Hinduism under pressure to undergo ‘halala.’ Consequently, she faced physical assault from both her in-laws and her parents’ side. The woman has urged the police to take action.

The woman was a resident of Hapur and had married a young man from Mawana 18 years ago. They have five children together. The husband sells clothes by peddling. Due to illness and the need to construct a house, the husband incurred debts.

According to the accusation, the husband physically assaulted her and attempted to burn her. In a fit of anger, he divorced her by saying “talaq” thrice. After this, the woman’s parents’ side put pressure on her to live with her husband again. According to the woman, she was asked to undergo ‘halala’ in order to reconcile with her husband. ‘Halala’ involves marrying another person and living with them as a wife, after which the new person divorces her so that she can remarry her first husband.

The woman opposed the practice of ‘halala’ and refused to remarry. In anger, she came to Meerut and embraced Hinduism. She started living in a rented house in the town. She alleges that on Thursday, relatives from her parents’ side came to her place and physically assaulted her. Somehow, she managed to escape. The police have assured the woman of taking appropriate action in the case.

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