Hilla marriage fatwa: Panchagarh court asks OC to investigate couple’s sufferings
A Panchagarh court has ordered the Officer-in-Charge of Debiganj Police Station to thoroughly investigate a couple's sufferings after they refused to follow a hilla marriage fatwa imposed by local influential people.
In a suo moto order, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Md Matiur Rahman also instructed the respondent to submit the investigation report to the court by August 22, reports our correspondent quoting police.
Md Jamal Hossain, officer-in-charge of Debiganj Police Station, told The Daily Star that he received the order late last night.
According to reports, a couple in Chalimpur village, of Debiganj upazila under Panchagarh, had been isolated for about four months after a local mufti (cleric) issued a fatwa for the wife's "hilla marriage" (marriage to another man) after her husband had uttered "talak" during an altercation.
Meanwhile, on August 9, the couple -- Aynal Haque (52) and Jamiran (42) -- filed a complaint with Prottoy Hasan, upazila nirbahi officer (UNO), said the OC, adding that later on August 12, a meeting was held in the village to discuss the matter, which relieved the couple of forced isolation.
The UNO confirmed the incident to The Daily Star, saying that a meeting was held at the village with a group of people who came to a peaceful solution.
The meeting also requested that the police conduct an investigation into this matter so that legal action could be taken against those involved in imposing fatwa, said the UNO.
After the incident went viral on social media and reports about it were published by various online news portals including BBC Bangla Online, the court took cognizance of the matter and issued the order.
As the husband refused to agree to a hilla marriage, influential people isolated them and asked the villagers not to cooperate them in any way, including communicating, according to reports.
They also prevented the couple's children from seeing their parents.
Those who were involved in issuing fatwa and forcing the couple to live in isolation, committed a serious crime, said the court.
Comments