‘Govt should help women whose lives have been ruined’

GORAKHPUR : Triple talaq victim Qadera Khatoon (24), who had approached chief minister Yogi Adityanath for help at Gorakhnath Temple in May, hailed the Supreme Court verdict and said the government should also help women whose lives had already been ruined.

“It is good that instant triple talaq will be checked. The government should also introduce a scheme to provide compensation to women who are facing hardships after falling victim to triple talaq,” Qadera said.

Qadera has a two-year-old daughter and lives at her parents’ house in Aurangabad locality near Gorakhnath Temple. Her brothers bear the entire expense of Qadera and her daughter.

Two years after marriage, Qadera’s husband Parvez, who runs a private coaching centre in Barabanki, divorced her in April 2016 by uttering ‘talaq’ thrice over the phone.

“I had come to see my ailing mother. The very next day he called me up asking me to return to my in-laws house immediately. When I expressed inability to do so, he hung up the phone in anger. After five minutes, he rang me up again and yelled ‘talak’ thrice. I pleaded him not to do so for the sake of our baby but he didn’t listen to me,” she said. Qadera also accused her in-laws of harassing her for dowry and added his husband probably left her because he was not able to bear the expenses with the meagre income that he made from tuition classes.

She said Parvez used to suspect her character and locked her up in rooms.

Qadera, who had passed her 12 and was 20 at the time of marriage, said despite meeting the CM no action was taken against her husband.

“After I submitted a written complaint, my father-in-law Alimuddin was called to the temple but I was not informed. The temple authorities said talks had been held and the result was in my favour but nothing happened,” she said. A case seeking maintenance expenses from her husband is in lower court.

Asked if she would reunite with her husband if he approached her, Qadera said she would not do so as she was tortured at her in-laws’ place. “I am only worried about the future of my daughter,” she said.