Woman, children stage stir, alleging triple talaq

A young Muslim woman along with her two children, aged five and two, are on a stir in front of her husband's house near Nadapuram on the rural parts of Kozhikode in North Kerala alleging that her husband divorced her through the banned triple talaq and got married to another woman.

Fathima Juvaira, who is staging the stir along with her five-year-old daughter Mehrin and two-year-old son Muhammed, alleged that she was even ousted from the house constructed by selling her gold ornaments.

The Valayalm police at Nadapuram registered a case against her husband Sameer, 34, by invoking sections 3 and 4 of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act recently passed by the Parliament to ban triple talaq.

Fathima, aged around 25, alleged that Sameer married her about six years back and they were living happily. He also constructed house by selling her gold ornaments. But over the last couple of years, he started creating troubles and forcefully ousted her and children from the house. Over the last six months Sameer, who works in the Gulf, did not even give any money to Fathima and children. About three weeks back Sameer came on leave and married another woman by maintaining that Fathima was divorced through triple talaq. He also swiftly returned to the Gulf afterwards, Fathima alleged.

Fathima launched the stir in front of Sameer's house from Tuesday after his relative did not allow her to enter the house.

Valayam police station house officer told DH that the case for triple talaq was registered on Thursday on the basis of a petition given by Fathima. Further steps would be initiated after recording a detailed statement of Fathima.

Police sources said that some relatives of Sameer maintained that only an engagement with a girl was over. Meanwhile, five other cases regarding various disputes between Fathima and Sameer as well as his family members were already pending at the Valayam police station.

V P Suhara of 'Nisa', an organisation working for rights of Muslim women, said that action should be also taken against the Mahal Committee for allegedly allowing Sameer's remarriage after pushing a young woman and two kids on the streets.

After the triple-talaq law was passed, four cases were reportedly registered at various parts of North Kerala alone where the practice was quite prevalent.