In the Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh, a shocking case has come to the fore wherein a married Hindu woman named Reena committed suicide on Saturday (10 June) by consuming acid after five-six months of harassment by a Muslim man named Zakir. After the locals were outraged, the police arrested the accused and sent him to jail.
According to media reports, the matter pertains to the Kshipra Haat Maidan in Kshipra Village where Reena Joshi resided with her husband Sundar Joshi and their two children. On Saturday, Reena consumed acid, and she was rushed to a nearby hospital. As her health deteriorated, she was referred to Indore. The family, however, took her to a private hospital. Later in the evening, she breathed her last. Reena’s death enraged the villagers as they demanded justice and said that the accused Zakir be hanged till death.
The agitated villagers led a protest outside the accused person’s house demanding that his house be demolished. Following this, police teams from five police stations were deployed to bring the situation under control.
Deceased victim Reena’s brother accuses Zakir of forcing her to consume acid
Speaking to Dainik Bhaskar, the deceased victim’s brother Deepak Joshi said that on Saturday, he received a call from Reena at around 10 am. Reena told Deepak that she has consumed acid pleading with him to save her. An appalled Deepak then rushed to Reena’s home. “When I reached Reena’s home in Kshipra village, I saw her suffering immense pain and vomiting,” Deepak said.
Deepak also said that his sister had told him eight days back that a person named Zakir who resided in the same locality used to harass her. “He used to follow her wherever she would go. Zakir was pressurising her to marry him. He would say that after marrying Reena, he would convert her to Islam. I told Sundar (Reena’s husband) about this and he said that they will sort it out. But before they could take a decision, all this happened,” Deepak said.
The deceased victim’s brother further alleged that Zakir had threatened his sister two days prior to her death. He also raised suspicion that Zakir may have forced Reena to consume acid as she was alone at home on Saturday.
“He has given acid to my sister as she cannot do this. When I took my sister to the hospital, about 200 grams of acid was found in her stomach. Nobody can drink that much acid,” Deepak asserted.
Deepak also said that he warned Zakir not to harass his sister. However, accused Zakir was adamant about his pursuit. He resided near the rented house where Reena stayed with her family. Zakir would stalk her regularly.
Meanwhile, the deceased victim’s sister-in-law told Dainik Bhaskar that Zakir persistently harassed Reena. For the sake of the family’s honour, Reena did not inform anyone about the harassment she was facing. For the last few days, Zakir was forcing her to establish sexual relations with him.
Reena and Sundar Joshi got married twelve years ago and had a daughter and a son. Earlier they resided in their ancestral home in Kshipra. However, they later shifted to a rented house. In the last six years, they changed four homes in the same area. Five months back, Reena along with her family moved to another rented house Sunvani Marg area. It is said that Reena may have moved to Sunvani Marg house due to Zakir’s harassment.
Angry locals and Hindu organisations protest outside accused Zakir’s house
As soon as the news of Reena’s death reached the Hindu rights organisation in the middle of the night, they marched to the police station and demanded harsh punishment. Some irate people arrived at Zakir’s house at midnight. Zakir’s family members escaped somewhere late at night. When no one could be found at home, the agitated locals hurled stones at the house and set fire to the loading van parked outside. The police arrived on the scene and deployed their teams in Shipra village as soon as they received information about the serious situation. Later, they managed to bring the situation under control.
Following the last rites on Sunday, the crowd pressed on demolishing the accused’s house. In addition to keeping Shipra Nagar closed in protest of the incident, traders also kept their shops closed in protest. Reportedly, a force of five police stations from the city, Police Line, Sonkach, Bhaunrasa, and Baretha, was deployed in the area. The Revenue Department team sealed the accused’s residence in the presence of the police.
According to the In charge of the industrial area police station, Ajay Channa, a woman ingested acid in the Shipra area. Her relatives claimed that she had been harassed for 4-5 months by a youth named Zakir. The accused has been arrested and imprisoned. No evidence of conversion has been found. If any evidence is found in this respect, stern action will be taken.
