Bengaluru: She's the mother of his children - a 13 year old daughter and a 10 year old son. But that didn't stop Bengaluru native Dr. Javed Khan from allegedly divorcing Reshma Azeez, his wife of 15 years through a whatsapp message, by pronouncing triple talaq after he brought her to the city from the U.S., and left the city without informing her, taking all her documents and identity papers with him.
In case the U.S-based surgeon hasn't heard, on August 22, 2017, the Supreme Court declared instant triple talaq (talaq-e-biddah) unconstitutional. The whatsapp message reportedly read: “I am sending this message in my full sense and I am not under any influence or anger or intoxication. Allah as my witness, I, Dr Javed Khan (dob)1-19-1976 son of late Taj Ahmed pronounce talaq (divorce)
to Reshma Azeez (dob 12-6-1978) daughter of Mr Azeezuddin according to Shariah. Meher has been fulfilled."
Soon after Dr Khan sent the talaq message on WhatsApp, he disconnected all communications with her, cutting off access to her daughter and son, whom he moved back to their home in Quincy, Illinois after he returned to the U.S. without informing Rehana or her relatives. Reshma's family has now approached BJP MLA, Suresh Kumar, who took them to Union minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda who has assured them he will take up the case through Ministry of External Affairs.
Rehana's brother Rafiuddin, a mechanical engineer, who runs a small factory in Peenya, shared the details of the entire episode. Recounting how Dr Javed Khan a general surgeon, originally from Bengaluru, married Reshma in 2003, he said: “First they were in the UK. Then, for a short time, they went to New Zealand and then moved to the US. She sacrificed her life to ensure that he completed his Masters in general surgery. The relationship between them has not been good for some time now. Six months after marrying her, he started telling her that he would not have married her had his sister not pestered him to do so. The harassment continued. In the last one year or so, the relations turned sour. My sister learned of his extra- marital affair and whenever she confronted him, he would tell her that she had psychological problems and take her to a psychiatrist."
A few weeks ago, Dr Khan called his wife's father and told him to take her back. After 10 days, the couple called them and said they would be coming to India. “When we went to airport last Friday, the doctor's sister and her husband got bouncers and rowdies who almost manhandled us. Finally, when the security guards intervened, Dr Khan told us take our sister to our house, promising that he would come on Sunday. We went home but he did not come on Sunday. When we called his sister, she said they had no idea about his whereabouts. Then we went to DCP who directed them to get the doctor.
However, on Monday, they said he was missing. Meanwhile, when our sister tried to contact her children she could not as the phones were disconnected. She grew suspicious and called up her friend in whose house the two children were staying. They spilled the beans saying Dr Javed had taken them back. When she tried to reach him. He sent a WhatsApp message giving talaq to his wife," Mr Rafiuddin said. Immediately after giving her talaq on a WhatsApp group, he not only exited from the group, ensuring she could not contact him or her children who were with him.
The victim's family while pursuing the police case, approached Mr Suresh Kumar who took them to Mr Gowda, who assured the victim's family that he would take up the matter with external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj. Mr Rafiuddin said what was worse was that his sister was living in the US as a dependent, as Dr Javed Khan was on an H1 visa.
“In Bengaluru airport, after the immigration check up, he took all the documents and kept them in his bag. So, she has no identity now. We can't even take her to Delhi by flight because she has no identity,” he said.
