Chennai: Nasreen, 23, sits with a photograph of her husband Habeeb Mohamed at the locked gate of his house at Lakshmi Nagar in suburban Tambaram. She alleges that Habeeb, through Triple Talaq has unilaterally annulled their arranged marriage, which had taken place in Chennai in October last year and sent her a DD for Rs 20, 000 as ‘compensation’ for serving him as wife for a year.
A makeshift tent to avoid getting drenched and a chair on the veranda keeps Nasreen going in her protest since 6 am on Monday morning.
The commerce graduate is not willing to give up the battle even though her in-laws are showing complete indifference. While her sister-in-law has locked the door, Nasreen has done the same from outside, thus leaving Habeeb’s sister, 65-year-old father and sister’s one-and-half-year kid, confined in the house for the past two days.
A moist-eyed Nasreen, who is accompanied by her parents and brother told Deccan Chronicle, “What is the guarantee for my safety? They had already disconnected the electricity on Monday night.”
Documents possessed by Nasreen which were accessed by DC prove that her husband Habeeb, who owns a rice mandy, has sent a letter marked to Jamaats of Royapettah, Saidapet, Tambaram and Merku Tambaram with a demand draft of Rs 20,000 announcing a ‘Triple Talaq’
Nasreen, who completed a year in wedlock on October 18 this year, is completely traumatised by her husband's letter labelling her as a 'misfit' and 'uninterested' in marriage. “They started branding me as a 'bad omen' ever since my mother-in-law passed away in February. I suffered two miscarriages as my husband's family had not provided medical aid when I conceived,” Nasreen said in trying to explain what could be the reasons for the husband's decision.
“A little water is all I have to keep my protest going. I go to the neighbour's house to use the restroom when my husband's brother is away as he would otherwise lock the gates once I go out,” said Nasreen.
Nasreen has been living with her parents since May as her efforts to be united with Habeeb failed. “I was never allowed inside. My husband who assured me he would take me home after Ramzan has Triple Talaqed me after the festival,” she added. She has approached the Jamaat, which called the couple for the counselling sessions.
Suleman, her elder brother said, “Over a month ago, she handed over all the reports to the Jamaat, which asked her to unite with the husband. Even while her valuables, accounting to 480 grams of gold and saris are in the house, Habeeb had mentioned that in the Talaq form that he has none of them.”
Habeeb's elder brother said, “We have now approached the family court and would want to deal with the case there. My family has been locked in. The issue would raise religious tension as both the families approached different Jamaats.” Habeeb, who was last seen at the Tambaram police station on Monday evening is unavailable.
Cop to defuse tension between two families
Following the sit-in protest by Nazrin, wife of Habib Mohamed, in Lakshmi Nagar in Chromepet since Monday, a woman constable was posted in the vicinity to douse the possible sparks from the tussle between the two families.
When police came to know about the woman protesting in front of her husband's house after triple talaq, they conducted initial enquiries, according to a senior police official.
Police on Monday took Habib to station to conduct enquires and had also asked Nazrin to be in the station. She refused to go to the station saying that Jamat had advised her to stay in her husband's house. Habib was unreachable on Tuesday.
When her husband’s family locked the gates on her, she, with the help of her family members, locked the gates from outside.
On Tuesday, police decided to post a woman constable in the vicinity after Nazrin said unidentified women who took her photographs were threatening her.
When the issue was brought to the notice of Maulana Shamsudeen Qasimi, general secretary of Makka Masjid Shariat council, by this newspaper, he suggested that the couple should attend the counselling session on Saturday in the masjid. “We handle more than 1,000 possible divorce cases. We found that majority of them decide to get separated due to an ego clash.
After attending our sessions, 60 per cent of them decide to live together again. We also make sure that the divorced women get deserving compensation between 50,000 to '60 lakh, according the financial background of their husbands,” he said.
