Man Gives Wife 'Triple Talaq' For Praising Cops' Action In Sambhal

She was watching a video on Sambhal violence in Uttar Pradesh, where protests sparked by a survey into whether a centuries-old mosque was built on a Hindu temple had killed four people - when her husband asked her not to and then, as she claims, divorced her by uttering the word 'talaq' three times. She had praised the police action.

"Koi wajah hi toh nahi thi. Bina wajah ke talaq diya hai (There was no reason at all. He divorced me without a reason)," said Nida, who uses a single name.

The word 'talaq' means divorce in Arabic.

The controversial practice of 'triple talaq' that allows Muslim men to divorce their wives instantly by saying 'talaq' thrice was banned by the Supreme Court in 2017. The top court called it "unconstitutional". In 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government also approved a bill outlawing the centuries-old right of a Muslim man to instantly divorce his wife.

Nida, a native of Moradabad, has filed a police complaint against her husband, Ejazul, for divorcing her.

"I was watching a video because I had to visit Sambhal for a wedding. I also had some personal work. So I was checking if it was safe to go there. My husband asked me why I was watching the video. I said what is wrong is wrong. Everyone has the right to defend themselves," said Nida, elaborating on what started the fight between the couple.

"Upon hearing this, he said you are not a Muslim; you are an infidel. You support police. He started misbehaving with me. He said I will not keep you anymore, no matter what you do and pronounced triple talaq. He then said he has nothing to do with me," Nida, dressed in a black burqa, told reporters.

The couple was in the third year of their marriage. 

"A woman has filed a complaint against her husband that she was watching a YouTube video related to Sambhal, which led to a fight between the couple. The husband asked her not to watch the video and when she did not agree, he ended the marriage by saying talaq three times," said Ranvijay Singh, Superintendent of City Police, Moradabad.

The situation had been tense in Sambhal since a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid was conducted on November 19 following orders from a court that came on a petition claiming that a Harihar temple existed at the site earlier.

Violence broke out on November 24 when the mosque was being surveyed again. Four people were killed and others injured in a clash between protesters and police. A total of 29 police personnel were injured in the incident, said the police.

(With inputs from Anwar Kamal)