Jodhpur man gives talaq to wife of 9 years on road

An intense debate over triple talaq notwithstanding, a man in Jodhpur ended his nine-year marriage by uttering talaq thrice on the road, allegedly because his wife gave birth to a girl. However, the wife refused to accept it and sat on dharna outside her in-laws’ house.

Ms Farah had come to her husband’s home on Tuesday with their daughter, but she was reportedly not allowed to enter the house. Her mother-in-law allegedly refused to let them in. Ms Farah alleged that she was abused and beaten by Mr Irfaan upon her arrival. “After that, I informed the police about my husband. He, however, came back after some time, refused to accept me, and divorced me by uttering talaq three times,” said Ms Farah. Refusing to accept divorce, Ms Farah remained seated outside the house.

On Wednesday, the state commission for women took cognisance of the matter and sent a representative, Suman Porwal, to conduct a counseling session with both the sides at the Mahila police station but in vain. “We have talked to them and have tried to mitigate the aggression between the families. However, there has been no success, as yet. So, we have called them on November 12 again,” said Suman Porwal.

The ‘divorce’ which was captured in a video sees Mr Irrfan dissolve his marriage outside his house in front of onlookers. “She has abused and beat me on several occasions. I can prove it. She could not bear a child for years and I had to spend 6-7 lakhs on her treatment. She became a mother but showed no improvement in her behaviour,” Mr Irrfan is heard saying in the video.

On the other hand, Ms Farah alleged harassment at the hands of her husband. “My husband’s family has become indifferent since I gave birth to a girl. I want to live with him and I believe that oral talaq is not Islamic,” she says in the video.

Mr Irfaan, however, dismissed the allegation and accused her of not taking care of him and his family. He said she had been living with her parents for a year and a half. He added that he was willing to accept his daughter but not Farah.

Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) which is seeking a ban on oral talaq has demanded strict police action against the husband for torture.