The 22-year-old pregnant Hindu woman from Moradabad whose Muslim husband was arrested under the new ordinance against unlawful conversions on December 5, recorded her statement before a magistrate on Monday, said officials.
The woman, Ms Pinki, who is pregnant, was also referred to the Meerut Medical College for further tests after complaining of abdomen pain, a senior government doctor said. The administration had earlier denied a report in a British newspaper, The Telegraph, quoting Ms. Pinki’s in-laws as saying that she was forced into a miscarriage.
SP Moradabad Rural Vidya Sagar Mishra said the woman in her statement under Section 164 CrPC said she was an adult and had married the Muslim man Rashid in July in Dehradun consensually.
After recording her statement, Ms Pinki left with her in-laws, the officer told The Hindu.
Nirmala Pathak, senior consultant at the district women's hospital in Moradabad said following her complaint, the woman was referred to the Meerut Medical College for further tests.
On a possible miscarriage, Dr Pathak said, “The foetus was visible in the ultrasound. But the heartbeat could not be observed clearly.”
Ms Pinki had been admitted to distirct hospital for the second time in three days on Sunday with complaints of abdomen pain and light spotting, said the doctor. She, however, added that the woman’s vitals were fine and she had no signs of external trauma.
Chief medical officer M.C. Garg said the woman’s health was “not an issue”, adding that there was no confirmation of miscarriage.
Earlier on Monday, Uttar Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (UPSCPCR) chairperson Vishesh Gupta told The Hindu that the foetus carried by the woman was secure. Ms Pinki, who was lodged at the Nari Niketan centre, a government women’s shelter home, was undergoing tests at a women hospital, he said.
As per the information provided to him by doctors treating the woman, there was no report of miscarriage, he added, reiterating the statement by the district probation officer Rajesh Chandra Gupta to this newspaper on Sunday.
The UPSCPCR would submit a report on the incident to the State government, said Mr. Gupta.
Ms. Pinki's alleged husband Rashid, and his brother were arrested by the police under the new Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020, on December 5, allegedly based on a complaint lodged by Ms. Pinki’s mother. The complaint said Mr. Rashid had induced Ms. Pinki into marriage and converted her under the garb of providing her a job, the police said.
However, according to Ms Pinki, she has been been living with Mr Rashid for the past few months; the couple have known each other for two years. She added that said the two had got married on July 24 in Dehradun.
The FIR was lodged under Sections 3 and 5 of the new ordinance against unlawful conversion. At the tehsil office, Ms. Pinki was also heckled and humiliated by members of a right-wing group.
