Shabnam Rani, a victim of Triple Talaq who has been fighting for the rights of Muslim women in court, has fallen victim to an acid attack by bike-borne assailants on Thursday in Bulandshahar, Uttar Pradesh. The attack is believed to have been committed by her brother-in-law with help from his friends.
As per reports, Shabnam, who hails from Delhi, was married eight years ago to a man named Mujammil from Joligarh which falls under Agauta Police station in Bulandshahar. Some times ago, her husband had divorced her through Triple Talaq, and later was trying to force her to perform the ritual of Nikah Halala with his brother, so that he can remarry her as per sharia laws. Shabdam had filed a petition at the Supreme Court urging that Nikah Halala and Polygamy should be criminalised.
As per reports, Shabnam was assaulted by her in-laws on Wednesday night. On Thursday morning, she was traveling to meet the SSP to register a complaint about the assault she suffered the previous night during which she was attacked with acid. She has been admitted to the district hospital and her situation is said to be critical.
Atrocities against victims of Triple Talaq are more common than we would like to believe. In July, Raziya, a Triple Talaq victim, was allegedly beaten and starved by her husband and eventually died during treatment. In another incident, few years after a woman was forced to go through halala with her father-in-law was again forced to go through halala with her brother-in-law.
Nikah-halala is a practice of a divorced woman having to consummate the marriage with another man and then getting a divorce from him to be eligible to marry her previous husband.
After Supreme Court of India had outlawed Tripple Talaq, Muslim women are petitioning the apex court to outlaw Nikah Halala and polygamy too. And such women are being attacked and threatened for their bravery. In June this year, another women who has approached the top court with similar petition, Sameena Begum had informed that she was receiving rape and death threats for her petition and for her work as a activist for rights of Muslim women.
