After nine years of a relationship, Sonika Chauhan and Akbar Khan got married in 2022, under the Special Marriage Act, 1954. Although the law secures and sanctions their right to live together, anticipating repercussions from family and society, Sonika and Akbar have been living separately since then. On May 24, Sonika’s family found out about her marriage and threatened her to get a divorce.
On the next day, her father, Laxman Chauhan, filed a complaint against Akbar Khan (29) at the Indirapuram Police, accusing him of kidnapping Sonika and wrongly confining her. Following this, the Ghaziabad Police raided Akbar’s home in the Nyay Khand area of Indirapuram and arrested two of Akbar’s sisters. Later on, the couple was found and the police handed over Sonika to her parents and arrested Akbar under sections 127(2) (wrongful confinement), 352 (breach of peace), 304(2)(snatching), 87 (kidnapping) and 191(2)(rioting) of the BNS.
Meanwhile, a video also surfaced, in which an angry mob is seen vandalizing Akbar’s shop. Police have registered an FIR suo motu against 50-60 unidentified men under sections 191(2) (rioting), 324 (4) mischief, 223 (disobeying public servant orders), regarding the incident
In a video shared by Sonika, she says that she had to leave her home and move in with her husband as she was afraid for her life and security at her home.
“My family, under the influence of RSS and Bajarngdal, started to threaten me. My mother came to my shop and brutally beat me up.”
She also reveals that her mother threatened to kill her and her husband and throw away their bodies, if she doesn’t come back home.
“No action should be taken against my husband’s family. I don’t want any action against my family either. I am going with my husband of my own accord,” she said in the video
Indian Express reported that in a complaint filed by her father, Chauhan alleges that on May 24, 6 pm, his daughter was kidnapped from her salon by Akbar, who also runs a shop nearby. He also accused four to five women from Akbar’s family of getting into a tussle and grappling with Chauhan and his wife. He also accused Akbar of threatening to kill them if they did not get their daughter married to him. Chauhan, Sonika’s father, claims that Akbar ran away with his daughter when they arrived and that Sonika is under threat and pressure from Akbar.
Speaking to the media, ACP Abhilash Srivastava stated that Sonika is a major, and she will record her statement with the magistrate within the next two to three days.
Although the couple is already married under the Special Marriage Act, the police state that they have not received any legal documents to substantiate the claim. The police have sent Sonika for medical examination, and she is currently under her family’s watch.
